Dentist Time

I am not a fan of going to the dentist.  (I used to say that I was not a fan of the dentist, but actually, I like my dentist a lot.  He's a good guy.  It's not totally his fault that I'm absolutely phobic about his profession). 

Anyway, apparently, kids need to go to the dentist.

I know, right?

So, on Monday,  I put on my big girl pants and a brave face and took Bean for her first appointment.  This particular office was great.  They rewarded her for every step of the way (sitting in the chair, letting the dentist count and clean her teeth, etc.) and didn't push when things got difficult (like the xray).  She had a fantastic experience and is actually looking forward to going back. 

Guess my brave face worked. 

But with the good experience came some bad news.  Turns out, the kid has cavities.  Three, to be exact. 

The dentist was very nice about it and definitely didn't try to make me feel badly about it having happened...  but that didn't stop me from feeling awful about it anyway.

I do what I can to protect my kids.  Obviously, I can't protect them from everything, and I know that... But I thought I had this one in the bag.  We eat very little in the way of sweets, especially gummy sweets... I brush her teeth well at least once a day... She takes vitamins... She doesn't drink soda... She really doesn't even drink a lot of juice... Never goes to bed with anything but water...

So why does she have three cavities?

Who knows.

Even if it isn't something I could have prevented, it still makes me feel crummy.  And maybe it's not so much that I feel like I should have been able to prevent it as it is a transference of my fear.  I have issues dealing with dentistry, so she will too.

Or maybe not. 

Perhaps this is one of the first of many instances where I realize that my kid is not an embodiment of me. 

I sure hope not, in this case. 

They're taking necessary precautions to make sure it isn't a traumatic experience for her.  So it's likely that she'll head in there, get the teeth fixed, collect her treasure box prize and won't have a worry in the world about it. 

I, however, am going to need a hug.

Dude, this parenting gig is hard.