Whew!

Time for a little mommyblogger sigh of relief. Ben used to go to this terrible pediatric dentist who was basically ill-suited to treating children. (Why did the pediatrician recommend this dentist??) He did fine, until the first time he got a topical fluoride treatment. He gagged and puked a little. He seemed fine afterwards and had no complaints. However, six months later, hearing that it was time to go back, he freaked out. He'd wake up and ask, "Am I going to see Dr. V. today?" (This was almost a daily concern—starting a couple weeks in advance.) By the day of the appointment, he was so upset that he cried and thrashed and wouldn't submit to an exam. Dr. V. offered a Valium prescription for the next attempt. It made very little difference. We completed the appointment, but he was traumatized. The only bright spot is that there are still one and a half small Valium pills in my house. Just in case...

After that last trip to see Dr. V., I asked a friend for a recommendation (berating myself for not asking sooner), and got the phone number for Dr. Mary. (Oddly enough, even though both dentists do have surnames, they actually go by the pseudonymous-sounding names I have used here.) Ben was most apprehensive before his first visit to Dr. Mary last fall, but she could write a book called How To Put Kids at Ease at the Dentist's Office. Perfect approach.

Even though Dr. Mary was so very unscary, Ben remained a tad fearful of the dentist. I scheduled today's appointment a couple months ago, which started a new round of "Are we going to the dentist today?" To avoid ruining his night of sleep, I didn't mention the appointment to Ben until this morning. He was okay about it, but still nervous.

Fast forward to the dentist's office: we read in the waiting room, and he played with trucks and blocks. He aced his first-ever dental x-rays, saying "That was so easy!" He was the perfect patient, and Dr. Mary was the perfect dentist. He claims he will no longer be afraid of going to the dentist. Hooray! Monkey #1 off my back.

Any suggestions for the Valium?