Thursday, August 9, 2007

the times they are a-changing

pooka went to the dentist today. she needed two cavities filled. we never really prepped her for what was going to happen. it's a good thing we didn't. we would have stressed her out needlessly.

i was prepared for the shot (no worries, there, actually), the drilling, the hot metal taste, the crying (hers AND mine), an hour in the chair.

not even close.

we weren't even there 5 minutes when her name was called. i was still on the phone with kisu trying to get her most recent counts. she had been perfectly fine going in, but at this point, she became very truculent. i had to nudge her through the door. then i had to rationalize and threaten for several minutes before she sat down. i tried to do my best and break the tension with some silliness. it managed to crack her mask, but she still wouldn't sit down. eventually, she did, but refused to lay back. 5 more minutes of debating ensued. finally, as i threatened to leave her alone with the dentist and technician, the dentist offered her the chance to hold my hand, and she complied. from that point on, she was golden. she opened up and let the dentist do everything he needed to do.

and let me tell you, i was jealous. the dentist i had when i was a kid was a goofball. i remember one occasion of getting fillings when he started drilling before the shot kicked in. then he went away and by the time he came back, the shot wore off.

this time? no shots, no numbing gel, nada. he used his 'tooth tickler' and then some 'white paint,' which looked suspiciously like caulk in a mini-caulk gun, and she was done. 10 minutes tops. and she got a prize. i never got prizes at the dentist, unless you count the new toothbrush, paste, and floss, which i sure as hell don't. (by the way, our dentist office doesn't even give out those prophylactic freebies anymore. i guess they figure it could negatively impact their job security.)

man, kids these days got it easy.