A Visit to a Pedodontist

According to the dictionary :
pe·do·don·tics (pē'də-dŏn'tĭks) n.
The branch of dentistry that deals with the care and treatment of children's teeth.
And therefore the pedodontist is the dentist who specializes with the care and treatment of children's teeth. I would assume (and there lies the mistake) that one specializing with children's teeth would also be good at dealing with children.

I was pleasantly surprised at Nathan's cheerfulness to go to the dentist. En Route he would say, "They're gonna floss my teeth! Right Mama?" His enthusiasm bubbled over and he repeated the same declaration over and over again. It is no surprise then that he was the first into the chair. He giggled as the chair went up and back. His laughter was contagious. All in the office were giggling and smiling. The X-rays were even a game to him as he bit down upon the film and said, "Aargggg Matey!" I might have thought I was having a lovely dream except Rilla's chewing on my arm kept it very real.

As I watched, I wondered why none of the lovely assistants didn't speak--not to me nor to my children. It was the first time in my entire life that dentist assistants weren't asking a million questions not waiting for answers because their hands and tools are in your mouth. They know you can't respond, but still the prattle is kind of a nice distraction and shows they're somewhat interested in you.

Nathan had been rotated from the X-ray chair to the cleaning chair. Once again the chair "ride" was entertaining. He was given "cool blue" sunglasses to wear to keep the light out of his eyes. He giggled as the cleaning brush whizzed across his teeth. All of a sudden he screamed, "OW!" He sat erect and exclaimed, "You hurt me! I don't want you to touch me again!" The lovely assistant quietly responded, "I didn't hurt you. I am almost done." Then she gave me a pathetic glance. Nathan firmly stated, "YOU HURT ME!" Once again she denied it. Obviously the fun was over. The lovely assistant was giving up. Nathan felt betrayed and I believe he just wanted an apology. I moved close to Nate. I sat next to him on the chair. I asked him to show me where it hurt. He stuck out his tongue and pointed. I offered to give his mouth a kiss instead of his tongue. He obliged. He smiled and told me that he'd been brave but the girl was mean and had hurt him and he wanted to go home. I ruffled his hair. I agreed that he was brave. I told him I loved him. I suggested that the lovely assistant (like many of us do) had made a mistake (while she glared at me) and we should forgive her. Nathan folded his arms tightly and sealed his lips tightly together. I tickled him. He smiled forgetting his determination to keep his mouth shut. I said quickly, "Oh NO! The BIG cavity monsters are taking over!" "Nathan, we've got to get them!" Panicked, Nathan opened his mouth wide and lied down on the chair. The lovely assistant sat dumbfounded. I repeated and clearly added, "The lovely girl is going to get those monsters!" After I glared at her, she finally got the hint and quickly finished cleaning his teeth.

The lovely assistant made Nathan a balloon sword for his prize. He treasured this for a couple of minutes. I sat wondering if the office staff meetings were spent learning new balloon creations. I also wondered if they spent any time at all being educated on understanding young children and how to work with them...

Seriously, here was an enthusiastic boy with absolutely no hesitation nor fear about being at the dentist. He only needed gentle prodding and for someone to apologize.