I am TERRIFIED of dentists. Terrified. The reason is clear - my first ever visit to a dentist, at age five, ended with me being held down in the chair by my grandmother AND the assistant, kicking and screaming while they drilled the living daylights out of my teeth. I'm serious. I checked. No. Living. Daylights. Left.
Henceforth (damn I love that word) I have never set foot in a dentists' chair without trembling, stiffening up and trying to hypnotise myself into another dimension. Bottom line: it haunts me.
Which is why I really wanted Ella's first dental experience to be pleasant, so she could avoid my fate. Unfortunately, twas not to be. (Note to all parents of babies out there - when they tell you not to let your child fall asleep on the bottle, seriously heed that. It will save you forking out both money and emotion.) Her first visit was going swimmingly, then they decided to give her root canal. Yes. Root canal. On her FIRST VISIT. To cut a long - and painful - story short, Little Miss was not only displeased, but refused to set foot in a dentists' chair again.
Which is how we found ourselves referred to a children's specialist in Calgary. Now, I was not thrilled by any of this, the pain of having to drive two hours each way just for a dentist appointment, the promise of having to fork out half of my savings no doubt, for the privilege of a 'specialist', without any guarantee that the kid would even walk through the door.
To cut a long - and happily painless - story short, it was worth every minute, penny and worry. This woman is a GENIUS. I love her. No, seriously. LOVE HER. If I ever release an album/produce a DVD/win an Oscar, she's going to be in the thank-yous. Yesterday Ella had to have a tooth extracted (yes, yes, let's not even talk about how crapola I feel about that even having to happen, believe me I've force-fed myself Marmite for the past week as penance) and not only did she not even shed a single tear, but afterwards told me "I LOVE the dentist! I can't wait to go again!"
Un. Believable.
Did I mention I love that dentist? Seriously. I'm not just throwing words around here. It's the real thing.
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6 comments:
I recommend this dentist. Roolly troolly!
Ah yes. I can't tell you how I long for nitrous oxide on tap in my househould. Just another dream...
I sent a rooly good comment about how dentists should be alerted to the growing army of stabbing weapon-type patients around as part of their growing to full humanity program (plus something else that was hilarious but escapes me now).
None of this was hooked by yr mighty blog deity/natural selection algorythm. Last time I'm commenting from work (well, that's not true - last unsuccessful, hopefully).
Anyways, hating dentists is a growth point - don't deny yr kids what's only right.
PS: love ya.
Wow, that's a terrible home for a hyphen to go to...
Leonski - I'm sure both of your comments were better than happy gas. Damn blogger! If it makes you feel any better, my blog may be moving soon to greener pastures.... *doing mysterious cape over shoulder thing*
Love ya back. x
Hi Jenny! I'm glad that you finally found a dentist who your daughter adores. Similarly, my daughter Sarah regularly visits the dentist. In Goose Creek, where we live, there are practitioners that children could be comfortable with.
Hoping for the best. Thanks!
Hoping for the best. Thanks!
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