So, when I was about 10 or so, I needed to get braces. Ugh, had an overbite, that mind you after seven years of braces, bands, head gear, and retainers, I still have the overbite and my bottom teeth are still crooked. But lucky for me, my sister helped to get my braces and save me decades of embarrassment with the overbite, it's actually kind of sexy now. But my first trips to the dentist SUCKED, on many, MANY levels. First my mother, who has beautiful teeth, brushes after even drinking water, went in at the age of 55 I think for a problem with one of her wisdom teeth, and yes, WISDOM TEETH. Well, after she got that all fixed, the dentist then proceeded to clean her teeth. Fine, what is suppose to be done, we figured. At this time I had NEVER been to the dentist, but thank god I was graced with perfect teeth, (except for the overbite) and never had a cavity until I was 21. That story in a few paragraphs.
We went back to actually schedule my brace's appointment, and at that same time checked my mothers teeth. Now only about three weeks went by and guess what? SHE HAD THREE CAVITIES. WTF???? There is no way this could be possible. He filled the cavities, of which I heard the drill, now this being in 1977, was like medieval torture as far as I knew. A woman, who all of her life, brushed her teeth, like hourly (and yes, OCD runs rampart in this family) couldn't possible have a cavity let alone THREE. She never at sweets, we weren't allowed to have pop in the house at all, or junk food, so really, three cavities?
So at this time I began to believe that if you got your teeth CLEANED, they scraped the enamel off. That made perfect since to me, since she shouldn't have had ANY. Years and years of endless bi-weekly appointments of tightening metal, rubber bands, wire (and yes, I picked up radio signals), having head gear that made me look like someone from another planet and oh yes, I've just now in the last couple of months have been able to sleep again on my stomach, about four retainers lost in the cafeteria lunch rooms, oh, good times. My teeth are still crooked, but whatever. Oh and the summer I turned 16 the dentist said I was suppose to get my wisdom teeth in. Not sure whose X-rays he was looking at or what mushrooms at the time he was on, but my wisdom teeth didn't come in until last year, and out at the same time.
For decades I avoided the dentist like the plague. How long could I go without going to the licensed witch doctor. Well, almost half my life. I had a very bad infected tooth when I was about 21/22 and the pain was so good, I wound up passing out before I'd go to the dentist. Well, when I went, he not only fixed the ROOT CANAL, but cleaned my teeth. Now being under heavy sedation, not sure what happened, but when I went back to get my crown on, guess what, THREE CAVITIES. Evil men in white coats. So from then on, I said no to dentist. Brush every day, twice a day, watched my sweets, and refused to go. Well, last summer, I started to pass out more frequently. Why, oh because of the WISDOM TEETH that should've been in when I was 16. Jump almost 25+ years ahead and now they have to come out. Thank god for insurance, thank god for a very understanding dentists and thank god for DRUGS AND I.V's. :)
I've never had such a great experience than finally getting these two stupid teeth out of my head. Had a Percosat about an hour before, they hooked me up, I woke up on the couch about 2 hours later, it was great. They've even healed pretty good. So now our dentist has me apparently under some spell, where I get to go in every six months and get them cleaned. I also told him that if I come back and their is a cavity, I'm blowing up his building. LOL
At the regular cleaning last week, I asked what do we need to do to get Little Man in for his first visit. He's been brushing his teeth since he was 18 months old and he gets no sweets, no juice, and no candy, so I was hoping that his teeth were in good shape. I don't' understand why mothers let their kids get cavities with their baby teeth. Is it that friggen hard to brush them and make sure they are getting brushed. Take some interest in your damn kids. I refuse for Little man to have a cavity before his permanent teeth come in and don't want him to have them then. I didn't and I pride myself on that fact that even after 43 years, I've only got three, and I'm pretty sure they were planted there.
Little Man was with me on my cleaning and the ladies said to bring him in, to see what was going on with mommy. Well, he loved the chair, the pick, the air, everything that they wound up making a chart for him that very day, got him in the chair, took X-rays, not only did he let the dentist check his teeth, he got them cleaned and asked for more. SO NOT MY CHILD, but you know what if his first trip was this fun and he even got toys out of the toy bin and a new box of toothpaste. They said he had perfect teeth and to have him come back after he turns five. We couldn't be more overjoyed that this visit when so fantastically well and easy. I don't think I've ever been prouder of him, and he even brushes his teeth more, because the dentist said so :) with being the mom that I am, I of course got pictures taken for his scrapbook. We think he might need braces since both daddy and I had them, but we can hope for not, but anyway it goes, his first experience was better than we could ever imagined, and hope that the rest go this well also.
No screams, no tantrums, and asked for more.
