Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Back to the Dentist

Olivia and I made the forty-five minute drive back to the pediatric dentist today to have her teeth worked on.

And by worked on, I mean, there were two tiny issues with two of her lower, back teeth. The teeth were right beside each other, so the dentist didn’t think it was going to be that big a deal.

Except…he worried about Olivia and how she’d react. He was gently concerned about having to restrain her to get the work done. He kindly pointed out that at six, she’s old enough to remember this stuff and he didn’t want to traumatize her.

He wanted to know how hard I wanted him to push to get the work done. He reminded me that it wasn’t major work, just a small filling and some sealant. But he was the one who had to help get x-rays last week and so he understood that she might fight them.

Olivia doesn’t quite grasp authority the way Alyssa does. If you’re doing something that hurts Olivia, she doesn’t care if you’re ‘in charge’ or if you’re doing it because it’s in her best interests. She wants you to stop and she’ll let you know it.

I told the dentist that I didn’t want her to be strapped down but if an assistant had to hold her hands for a few minutes, that would be fine.

In the end, she was amazingly brave. The dentist was so proud of her and let me know that she didn’t even have to have her hands held. She wiggled a little, he said, but then he told me that they learn to deal with that in dental school when they’re becoming pediatric dentists.

I really can’t say enough about this dentist and his practice. Everyone is so kind and reassuring.

We’re going to continue to go to our family dentist for cleanings and check-ups but this will definitely be the place we go for any further work. And since kids with 5p- tend to have plaque issues, I’m afraid we’ll be in for more work. Thank goodness we’ve found someone we trust to treat Olivia as well as she deserves.

1 comment:

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