Dentist appt.....prepared and failed

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2004
Dentist appt.....prepared and failed
3
Thu, 04-27-2006 - 10:29pm

Do you believe this!? I was so worried about Nathan actually letting them clean his teeth. I put it on his calendar, went over the "cleaning" part, and how THIS time we were going to let her clean his teeth. But the ONE THING that I did not anticipate...happened!!!

He was scared of the chair. Afraid he was going to fall down...would only sit on it with his legs dangling over the side. Frozen. I tried everything I could to get him to at least sit forward and put his back against the seat. FINALLY.....and I have no idea how long this took...he sat back, but this happened v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y!!! I could feel the eyes of everyone around me LOCKED ONTO US!!! Probably wondering...what in the world is wrong with this child???

And, of course, the hygenist asks..."And, how old are you Nathan?"......I say 7 (because he really wasn't able to speak at the moment). And as I'm saying this, I'm thinking to myself.....a grown, 7yr old boy, who cannot even sit in a chair. And this is just where I took a deep breathe and just let it goooo......

Then the cleaning....was a breeze. LOL

Funny how our lives are, ya know?

michelle

Avatar for insideout418
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Thu, 04-27-2006 - 11:09pm

Yes....we worry about things we never dreamed we'd worry about....celebrate things no one else celebrates...


And I'd say let's celebrate the cleaning went well!

Follow me
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 04-28-2006 - 12:46am

Oh man Michelle, I am sorry. At least the cleaning went well once he started. So often something will happen that turns into a meltdown that I didn't anticipate and wish I had. But we can't possibly anticipate everything. But next time you make an appointment I bet you prepare for the chair to the hilt and then it goes off without a hitch like you never needed to prepare in the first place, lol. Such is life.

Last time we went to the dentist I forgot to prepare Mike in advance. Had to tell him quickly in the morning and try to prepare. I was dreading all day and it went off without a single hitch. He even complied to having x-rays done and told me he didn't need me in the back room with him.

It is always an adventure.

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-15-2003
Fri, 04-28-2006 - 10:17pm

My nt daughter was afraid of the chair on her first appt. At our dentist's office, they suggested I sit on the chair and she sit on my lap. Then they put the chair back and did her cleaning. It worked like a charm, and on her second visit she was fine.

I haven't even attempted a real dentist visit with my ds. I did take him along on his sister's recently and he was afraid of the chair. They let him push the button to make it go up and down but there is no way he would have sat in it. I am afraid to even try at the age of 4.

I think your visit went GREAT!

Have you ever heard the quote "Suffering builds character"? Sometimes when I am having difficult moments with ds, I tell myself, I am building character here, loads of character and it helps me chuckle.
Chrissy