It all started with a dental appointment…
Cadence and I had appointments a few weeks ago to get our teeth cleaned, and the hygienist saw a tiny little shadow on one of Cadence’s molars. A couple x-rays later and it was confirmed…the beginning of a cavity, right on top of one of her teeth.
Now, for a kid who has had exactly three sips of soda in her life (she has tried a sip of Sprite, a sip of Ginger Ale, and a sip of Root Beer, and hated all three) and who drinks at least a gallon of milk a week, we were a little surprised by the news. We’d started brushing Cadence’s teeth when she was just a baby, and had worked it into our morning and evening routines.
Yet, perhaps our fault was allowing our little girl to assert her independence and take over the job herself. I guess we forget sometimes that Cadence is only 4, and that she might not be doing the most thorough job when she’s left to “do it myself” as she so often insists.
And so, we made an appointment to have the teeny cavity filled. We did our best to prepare Cadence for what was going to happen, but how to do you really explain to a 4-year-old that your mouth is going to go numb and the dentist is going to stick a drill in your mouth, chip away at your tooth, and then fill it back up again, good as new? We explained it all as well as we good, and then we did what any good parent would do–we resorted to bribery. We told Cadence that if she was good and brave and didn’t throw a fit, we’d take her shopping for a new toy. We knew there were a few things she had her eye on. She agreed.
Overall, she did really well. She climbed into the chair like a big girl, and didn’t seem to mind at all when the assistant smeared on the mint-flavored topical anesthetic. She just sat in the chair wearing a pair of Elmo sunglasses, listening to her playlist on my iPod, and watching Cartoon Network.
But about the time the doctor came in and started talking to her about what was going to happen, showing her some of the tools he was going to use, and the drill, Miss Cadence started to get a little nervous. The doctor told her he wanted to get a look at her tooth, and managed to give her the shot without her even seeing the needle. She cried a little, and complained about the bright lights shining in her eyes. And she had a momentary freak out when the shot kicked in and her mouth started to go numb. But by the time the doctor returned to start working on the cavity, she was doing okay. Stevie and I held her hands and talked to her while the doctor worked, and in 10 minutes, it was all over and her tooth was good as new again.
The minute she was finished, everything was right as rain. She smiled sweetly when we told her how proud we were, and asked if we could go buy a toy…or two…seems she talked her Daddy into sweetening the deal on the way to school that morning.
Totally worth it.
Yesterday Stevie and Cadence got to work building the Ninja Turtle Lego set she picked out, and they spent the evening playing and giggling and helping Leonardo and Raphael and Master Splinter defend the lair against the bad guys.
And it looks like Cosette wanted to get in on the action, but managed to get herself caught. Cadence discovered her this morning, and immediately jumped in to help the Ninja Turtles free her favorite elf…
Now, try to stay out of trouble, Cosette.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Lori Romano 