A Visit to the Dentist

Today I took Mekhi for his second trip to the dentist. There is nothing wrong with his teeth but I think it is important to be proactive when dealing with oral hygiene. As a young child my mother instilled in me the importance of regular and thorough care of my teeth and I want to do the same for Mekhi. I must admit that since Mekhi is in the midst of the "teachable" twos and wants to maintain control sometimes I let him get his way more often than I should to keep the peace. I realize the error of my ways and unfortunately this was evident during our doctor visit. Let me start by saying Dr. Wayne is a Pediatric dentist (I don't think such a thing existed when I was growing up) and the whole experience is wonderful and calming. Each station has a television on the ceiling to distract the children during procedures and the staff is well-versed in handling the antics of a preschooler.

Mekhi was fine with all of the doting that he received prior to his cleaning but his demeanor quickly changed once we went into the examination room. I am not sure if he had flashbacks to the last time we visited the dentist for a quick perusal of his teeth or if it was the very sterile environment but Mekhi started screaming the moment I laid him down in the exam chair. I tried to keep him still while the tech attempted to clean his teeth but reinforcements were quickly called in. One attendant played with his feet and sang soothing songs while I held his hands down and his teeth were cleaned. Dr. Wayne came in and his melodic voice calmed Mekhi quite a bit and in an instant the whole process was over. In total the exam and cleaning lasted about five minutes but Mekhi screeched and screamed the entire time.

Dr. Wayne took a moment to discuss the exam with me and reiterated that Mekhi's behavior is normal. However, I need to assist Mekhi in understanding the things that he can and cannot control. Full disclosure: at night I allow Mekhi to brush his teeth first and then I "try" to finish up the job. I am more successful at completing this task when Mekhi complies but more often then not, I am met with extreme resistance to teeth cleaning. Dr. Wayne explained that I need to brush Mekhi's teeth first and then allow him to brush. By changing the process Mekhi will have an incentive for allowing me to brush his teeth. I never thought of doing it this way but it makes complete sense. I learned something new today and although I slightly felt reduced to an idiot ( Because really, why am I allowing a two year old to run the program? ), I am going to apply the sage wisdom of Dr. Wayne to our bedtime routine.

I am grateful for health practitioners like Dr. Wayne that take the time to help make my job as a parent easier and am reminded that parenting is a learning process. *And just so you know - Mekhi really was fine. His toy dinosaur, sticker and bright orange toothbrush did wonders for his disposition!*