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A Cavity, An Astronaut's Mask, and a Date at McDonald's
It's been almost two years since I last attempted to take my son
William to the dentist. Until then, I had no idea a kid could
clench his jaws shut with such steely determination. On the
second and last try, the dentist managed to count his teeth -
but she lost a pair of plastic sunglasses in the deal and
William left with teeth no cleaner than they'd been when we
arrived.
William's four now, and what a difference a year or two can
make! I knew we'd turned a corner when he let me brush his teeth
with the Rota-dent™, which looks and sounds a bit like the
polishing brush dentists use. In fact, about a month ago, he
asked me to make an appointment for him to see the dentist! So
of course I did.
Yesterday was the big day. William looked forward to it the way
some kids look forward to going to the amusement park. In fact,
he did get a ride - up and down and upside down (almost!) in the
big dental exam chair! And this time, he didn't fight it - he
just relaxed and smiled and showed off those pearly white
choppers! The hygienist counted his teeth (he has twenty) and
polished them with cherry-flavored paste until they gleamed. She
coated them in orange-flavored fluoride. William rinsed, and
spit, and smiled some more.
A Cavity
Everything was going so well. The hygienist was amazed when
William bit down on the x-ray film and sat still while she
snapped the pictures. He thought it was really cool to see a
picture of his teeth, and she showed him his six year molars,
still hiding down below the surface of his gums. She gave him a
goody bag full of coloring pages, a pencil, stickers, a puzzle
sheet, a whale-shaped toothbrush, and some Sparkling Crest
toothpaste!
Then the dentist, Dr. Susan Ellison, came into the room. Dr.
Ellison is a soft-spoken, gentle woman who relates well to all
her patients, from the very youngest to the oldest. At last,
she'd been able to win my son over completely. Future visits
would go smoothly now, for sure. But then she looked at the
x-rays. I heard the word "cavity" and almost burst into tears.
In fact, there were two cavities. I knew I must be a terrible
mother for my four-year-old to have cavities! But he brushes
regularly - he loves to brush! So what happened?
According to Dr. Ellison, William's baby molars have very little
space in between. Without diligent flossing, brushing alone just
won't cut it. The cavities were between the teeth, not on the
outer surfaces. I felt a little better. But I knew I could've
done a better job, too. Have you ever tried flossing a four year
old's teeth? Okay, so big hands are no excuse. I failed as a
mother...
As fate would have it, Dr. Ellison had an opening at eight
o'clock this morning. Why postpone the agony and stew about it
for days? I booked the appointment and William and I went out to
lunch.
I broke the news to his Daddy and his big sister, Katie last
night. We agreed to say as little as possible about cavities,
drills, fillings, Novocain shots - instead, I told William that
the dentist had found a small hole in his tooth and would have
to fix it before it got any bigger, because sometimes big holes
hurt. That seemed to satisfy him. We all heaped lots of praise
on him for how well he behaved during the exam and the cleaning,
and then we all shut up about it.
This morning before school, Katie challenged William to a game
of Diddy Kong Racing on Nintendo 64, then let him win so his day
could start out on a positive note. She thought that up all on
her own - gotta give the kid credit. She smiled at me like she
was already feeling the sympathy pains. Actually, Katie is
tougher than I am when it comes to cavities - she hates shots,
so she opts for the "no pain, no gain, no Novocain - just drill
'em and fill 'em" approach. No nitrous, either! I shudder at the
thought...
An Astronaut's Mask
William and I headed for the dentist's office. He went back and
sat in the chair, just like he had done the day before. The
dental assistant gave William a pair of sunglasses, and turned
the high-powered work light on his face. I told William to
imagine he was at the beach, soaking up the sun. "Don't forget
the sunscreen!" I teased. Then Dr. Ellison let him put on the
"astronaut's mask" with its low
dose of nitrous oxide to help
keep him calm. I told William to imagine that he was an airplane
pilot, flying over the beach, his plane trailing one of those
long, colorful advertising banners... as I waved to him from my
parasail high up in the sky. He smiled. On cue, he opened his
mouth wide and the work began.
First, Dr. Ellison put sealants on eight of William's molars to
help prevent future cavities. With his head practically resting
in her lap, he relaxed completely. He held his mouth open, head
tilted at just the right angles. He uncrossed his legs and
unclenched his fists. Only his slightly fast breathing and
ramrod-straight posture indicated any tension. Next, Dr. Ellison
slipped the drill between his teeth and within seconds, she was
done "fixing the hole." I don't think William was ever not
alert, just calm. Finally, a little oxygen, a lot of praise, and
he was up out of the chair, grinning like a fool! The whole
visit took less than thirty minutes.
A "Date" at McDonald's
"You did better than your Mom does," Dr. Ellison told William. I
smiled ruefully at her. "Isn't that the truth," I admitted. The
dental assistant laughed. I've been known to suck down enough
nitrous to make seasoned dental assistants woozy while they
monitor me, before I'll relax my guard enough to let the dentist
walk into the room with a needle! And to think, William didn't
even need Novocain!
"I guess this means we have a date for McDonald's," I told him,
breathing a sigh of Mommy-relief. William clapped his hands and
gave me a big hug. A Quarter Pounder never tasted so good...
Tips for Helping Your Child Deal with the Dentist
Kids are funny. What works for mine may not work at all for
yours, but I think these tips are worth a try...
Before you take your child to the dentist, explain what a
dentist is and what the dentist does. "Cleans teeth and fixes
them if they're broken or have holes in them" is probably enough
for a very young child. Make sure you don't mention any personal
dental phobias to your child!
If your child resists the dentist on the first, second, third
visits, don't give up and don't wait almost two years to try
again.
Floss your child's teeth!
When your child shows real interest in brushing her own teeth,
she's probably ready for a visit to the dentist. That's also a
good time to talk about the dentist, and what dentists do. (Make
sure you get in there and do the brushing for your very small
child, even if they're in a serious "I can do it myself!" stage.
Let them do it, then say "Let me help - I can reach those back
teeth easier than you can. I'm really glad you like to brush
your teeth!"
If your child hates toothbrushing, let him pick out a cute
toothbrush and toothpaste. Brush your teeth at the same time,
and make funny faces at yourself and your child in the bathroom
mirror. Make it a fun part of the morning and bedtime rituals!
Reward your child. There's nothing wrong with a little bribery
now and then, provided the circumstances merit it. Say, "It's
really important that you do everything just the way the dentist
tells you to, so she can do a good job and you can have clean,
healthy teeth. If you help the dentist and do what she asks, we
can [go to McDonald's, see a movie together, play at the park,
feed the ducks, whatever]." So I had to eat at McDonald's two
days in a row - we both had fun!
Let the dentist do his job. Don't overprepare a small child for
an unpleasant procedure. It may not turn out to be all that
unpleasant, after all. Just explain in simple terms, be honest
(I did tell William that today wouldn't be as much fun as
yesterday, that it might hurt a little, but that big holes in
teeth could hurt a LOT, and that Dr. Ellison was going to make
sure that didn't happen to him).
About the author:
Holly Jahangiri is a professional writer who claims,
tongue-in-cheek, to channel the spirits of Edgar Allan Poe, Erma
Bombeck, and O. Henry. On a bad writing day, she claims to have
poured every last ounce of creative ability into childbirth. On
good days or bad, Holly is always grateful for the love and
support of her family. Holly is an author on Writing.Com (
http://www.Writing.Com/ ).
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