Warning: Do NOT watch Finding Nemo just before someone's first ever dentist appointment.
I informed Dasha last night that she would be visiting the dentist, and she seemed fine about it....until Finding Nemo. I had completely forgotten the horrible dentist that takes up a good part of the movie -- root canals, pulled teeth, screaming, terrified patients,...drills. What kind of mother am I?
So, this morning on the way to the dentist, Dasha was in hysterics. I had forgotten about the movie that we had watched the night before and could not, for the life of me, get her to share what she was upset about. But the tears were so real and the sobs so deep, we stopped at Starbucks on the way to sit with her and calm her down and get her a cool drink. After fifteen minutes of pleading, I had a lightbulb moment. " Are you afraid to go to the dentist?" The wail she emitted scared the barista.
So then my slow brain put two and two together, and I told Nastia about the movie. She couldn't stop laughing, which made Dasha cry harder. Nastia picked her up on her lap and explained that the dentist was NOTHING like the Finding Nemo dentist and that she used to be scared, too, but Dr. Polan made her not scared anymore. She told her how gentle he was, and how kind. And that he would not do a thing to her without her permission. It worked.
So, here, in pictures is Dasha getting her teeth checked, cleaned, x-rayed for the first time. She has four cavities, but only one needs to be filled. The others are teeth she will lose soon. She was sooo brave! Everyone from the office came in to congratulate her. By the way, If anyone lives on the North Shore and wants the world's greatest dentist, head to Dr. Polan's office. He is truly an angel in a dentist smock.
They let Dasha control the suction...
and the water...
and had her test everything first to show her it wouldn't hurt...
She didn't complain once!
And in the end, Dr. Polan invited her to be his assistant while he filled a cavity for Nastia!
Now she says she wants to be a dentist:)
Yay for both of your brave girls! I'm not so good at dentists myself
ReplyDeleteAw, poor thing! I once put on The American Tail for the neighbors kids while they were here visiting, TOTALLY forgetting all of the sewer scenes and the big fat cat. I also forgot about the color scheme - somehow I remembered it as Disney-bright - so in the end it turned out that this movie I remembered so fondly was just one great big dark scary show! . . . I'm glad Dasha pulled through so bravely, and kudos to Nastia for being such a good big sister!!
ReplyDeleteWe went to the dentist today too! Dima has to have 2 teeth pulled and one cavity filled. :-( We will stay away from Nemo! haha
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine went to the dentist for the first time when he was 5 years old (long ago), and the dental assistant put the bib on him with a small chain (like dog tags come on) that had alligator clips on both ends to clip to the bib. Well, she accidentally clipped it to his neck on one side & didn't realize it til the whole visit was over & she was taking it off of him. She asked him why he never said anything about it, and he said he thought that was part of going to the dentist.
ReplyDeleteRosemary Clark
Glad she made it through that experience.
ReplyDelete