Trouble at the Dentist

I had the "pleasant" experience of taking my 5 year old to the dentist yesterday after school.  Note my sarcasm.  My daughter has been going to the dentist every 6 months since she was 2.  The first 3 or 4 trips were rough.  Like most 2 year olds, she screamed and kicked and my wife and I had to hold her down with every ounce of strength we had.  You feel horrible as a parent doing this because it seems like you're torturing your child, but it's very important that kids see the dentist as soon as their teeth come in.  If there are problems, catching them early can offer more treatment options.  As my daughter approached 4 we were able to explain the purpose of visiting the dentist and she was able to understand.  Dentist appointments were no longer a problem.  She sat in the seat calmly and left with a smile on her face.

That all changed yesterday.  Everything went fine during the normal cleaning.  She was also scheduled for x-rays, but since she had them a year ago with no issues I didn't anticipate any problems.  At the end of the cleaning the dental hygienist sprayed some water in her mouth which wasn't an issue.  The problem developed when the hygienist turned the air tube that sucks the water out of your mouth.  My daughter wasn't prepared for this and the noise of the air tube scared her.  Not just scared her, but freaked her out!  She started kicking and screaming and refused to put the air tube in her mouth.  After that it was time for the x-rays but she was already freaked out that doing the x-rays was not going to happen.  I tried explaining to her the the x-ray doesn't make a noise.  There were two methods she could select from for her x-rays, but she refused both.  I had a 15 minute chat with her about how the x-ray machine works and why it's important, but it was still a no go.  I believe that if she wasn't already scared from the air tube noise that x-rays would not have been a problem.   Hopefully she'll be in a better position mentally to take x-rays at her next appointment in 6 months.

I have to admit that I was a little annoyed with her, but I couldn't get mad at her.  Everyone of us is afraid of the unknown.  How many people skip doctor/dentist appointments because they are afraid of what they might learn or might have to go through?  How many people refuse to donate blood because they are fearful of the process?  Even I'm apprehensive when it comes to medical procedures I've never had before.  Usually once we are educated on the procedure we feel better about things.

In the end, yesterday's dentist appointment was a learning process.  I'll talk to my daughter ahead of time about x-rays and the air tube, hoping that if she understands ahead of time what will happen, she won't be as freaked out.  And I can guarantee you that I'll talk with my 2 year old when it's time for her to have x-rays and use the air tube.  Right now she's still at that "I'm screaming and kicking regardless of what you say or do" stage.  It's a "fun" stage.  :-)