Since I'm on memory lane, I thought I'd go ahead post another. A few days ago, I was listening to a friend talk about their recent visit to the dentist. My mind did what it always does when I hear the word "dentist"...retreats to the dark corner in my brain where my most humiliating memories live.
So, I was about 5 when I went to the dentist for the first time. Maybe 4, but young nonetheless, young and TERRIFIED! I went with my grandmother to her dentist. We had just moved from the wilderness - literally...park your car at the bottom of the hill and hike up to the log cabin without running water - to Austin, Texas. My grandmother decided it was time for me to go to the dentist and off we went.
Now days, there are all kinds of dentists for children, with colorful walls, toys, pictures to distract them, etc. When I went, that was not a popular trend. Looking back, I'm sure his office was a standard set up, but to me, it might as well have been hell.
I was already pretty nervous, not knowing what to expect, but when they took me back to the exam room I lost it completely. The first thing I saw was the chair with a light directly above it, followed immediately by a drill on the side table. That's pretty much all I remember. Within seconds, I was under the chair, trembling in fear. Then as the dental assistant attempted to get me out, I started a marathon of running to different places to hide in the room. No desk, chair, or machine was off limits. I was (and still am) a scrapper. I screamed and hollered and threw a total fit. I'm sure people in the waiting room thought I was being tortured.
The dentist took all this surprisingly well. At least I assume he did. He ended up being my dentist till I moved from away from the Austin area 11 years later and yes, he would frequently remind me of my first visit.
I recently asked my current dentist the age he would suggest I take The Wee One in, and he said that 3 is the average age. That's about a year away and I find myself thinking how I want to approach the situation so as to best prepare her. Thank goodness I have some time.
1 comment:
Starting early when there are NO problems is important in building trust. My boys actually really like our dentist. We don't use a "kid" one. We tried one in AMA and he is a FRAUD. We can talk, but basically, the more people I have talked to the more I believe that to be true. He is an actual dentist, but performs procedures that are unnecessary.
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