For this post, you need a bit of background information. I searched my archives and could not find anywhere that I had already explained it, so I will start way back at the beginning. (first line of the real post has been bolded for your convenience- ‘cus DAMN this is a hella long post!)
When Rainbow Man got his teeth I was excited, but not excited enough to know I was supposed to brush them. As a result he has cavities (I DO learn from my mistake, Both the younger two scored the coveted NO CAVITIES sticker at the dentist earlier this month).
When Rainbow Man was five, one of his many cavities began to bother him. We took him to a dentist and he decided the tooth should come out. It was so badly decayed there was no real hope of saving it. (I suck) Unfortunately, Rainbow Man had an infection in the tooth that prevented the numbing agent from working properly. The dentist and I did not know this until the tooth was already half out. RM was screaming. Not crying, Screaming in pain, but the tooth could not stay half in nor half out. Before much could be said to the dentist we never EVER returned to, he yanked the tooth the rest of the way out. Without freezing.
This, quite naturally led RM to have a VERY big fear of dentists. But he still had a LOT of cavities. However, I was unwilling to make him face his fear and get them taken care of. Until last summer when he developed a very large abcess beside one of his decayed teeth. (Again, I suck)
We took it very slow. First appointment was just to see the room and meet the dentist. Next appointment was to sit in the chair and have his teeth counted. The next appointment was for a cleaning and an assessment of what work needs to be done and in what priority. At all times, we kept RM informed of what was being done and what HAD to be done becuase I think information is power and the more you know about something the less you fear it. Our dentist was extremely patient with us, by the way.
Finally we took him in to have a spacer put in. The gap left from the tooth that had been pulled when he was five had started to close in, meaning he would have trouble when his adult tooth wanted to emerge. The spacer went in just fine. (there is no pain involved with a spacer) We had discussed with him ahead of time that he would have some happy gas and the abscessed tooth would be pulled after the spacer was in. He had reacted calm and accepting to the news.
The scene at the dentist office that afternoon when she brought out the needle to freeze him is one I wish I could forget. It ended with him curled in a fetal position on the floor screaming. Terrified of the pain he new was coming. (lets keep in mind that the last tooth he had extracted was done with no freezing)
I took him home and called a the pediatric dentist at the hospital and made an appointment to have his teeth taken care of (two extractions, fissures, spacers, a retainer and multiple cavity fills) done while under general anesthetic. I was not willing to force him to go through that fear again. The waiting list was a year long.
In early January the boys were due for their six month cleanings. RM went and had no troubles, in fact, he seemed to have fun. I was busy in the next room with Stuperman while the dentist was in with RM so I do not know what she said to him, but when his cleaning was done, he asked me to make him an appointment to have the work he needed done on his teeth. I did, becuase he asked, but I had very low expectations for the appointment.
Have you ever been so proud of someone it made you cry? Until this morning, I had never. Rainbow Man got in the chair, got the needle and proceeded to get EVERY SINGLE thing that needed to be done, including the fillings and extractions, without a single tear. In fact there were a few times during those three hours that they had him giggling - without the nitrous oxide!
Best fucking day ever!
Pee Ess : If you actually read the whole post, you deserve a prize!
∗ Posted by bluepaintred on 01.29.2008
∗ Mommyblawgin, Rainbow Man, Uncategorized
∗ Comments (19)
