Smile & Show Your Pearlie Whites!

Today was another Family Dental Day. I trudged to the other side of town.....well, I drove......though very, very slowly......to the dentist's office. I'd had a call about ten days ago that a cavity had been spotted on my x-rays. Since I didn't know where in my mouth the cavity was, or what parts would be numbed to fill the cavity, hubby and I decided he would just do a jazz podcast this morning. We didn't want to commit ourselves to doing the Big Band show podcast when we didn't know if I would be able to talk when I got home.

I was completely delighted to have the dentist look at my mouth and tell me I didn't actually have a cavity. Of course, that meant instead he intimated that my mouth is aging along with the rest of me. But since that meant no needles, I was okay with the “aging” knowledge! The aging process going on inside my mouth is resulting in more of my teeth being exposed – and what showed as a cavity on the x-ray was actually a spot where the root of the tooth had started being exposed. He did put a bonding over the spot – basically, a filling without having to drill – hence, no needles necessary! I was home within half an hour, in a much happier mood than when I left.

Since I was home so soon and able to talk, we decided to go ahead with our regular podcasts. It was fun getting those done this morning. I tried a new recipe for chicken at lunch time, and it was a great success. We enjoyed our walk at the park this afternoon.

Our little four-year-old whirlwind, unfortunately, did not have a positive experience with her dental appointment this morning. For starters, she absolutely hates going to the dentist. Even though they have a TV mounted on the ceiling and she gets to choose what she watches, she still wasn't appreciative of her experience. Secondly, she hates loud noises. So her stress level skyrocketed when they cleaned her teeth with the power tool. From what I was hearing from her mom on the phone, I'm not sure there was a really positive bedside manner from the dentist seeing her today. Her appointment took most of the morning.

On top of all that, the poor kid's mom (that would be my older daughter) was told the Whirlwind has two cavities that need attention. At the point of the phone call I received this afternoon, I think Mom's stress level was higher than the Whirlwind's. The consensus at the dental office is that, given the Whirlwind's anxiety level, they need to put her under in order to deal with the cavities. That would mean just one trip to the dentist's office......and no danger of anyone (Whirlwind or dental people) being injured with a sharp instrument combined with a stressed-out four-year-old.

Logically, we know that's the best way to do it – but it's scary to knowingly have a four-year-old put under for a procedure. I was so glad that I was here when my daughter called and I had all the time in the world to talk with her. And she mentioned how nice it was to have me available when she needed me, instead of having to wait until I got home from work. You know, being available when the kids or grandkids (or hubby, or mom) need me is worth more than all the paychecks I've ever earned!