I may have mentioned this before, but E has always been an extremely sensitive little girl. The littlest things can bring on the alligator tears. So, we knew visiting the dentist would be a traumatic experience. Believe it or not, we started preparing for this special day last Spring when I had an appointment. The whole family came to watch me get my teeth cleaned and we talked E through each step. They even allowed her to move up and down on the dentist chair. During the summer, E watched A during his appointment and then read several books about the dentist. Her original appointment was in the fall, but the office goofed and we had to reschedule. After a moment of annoyance, it was fine with us...more prep time.
Periodically, we'd mention the dentist to E. We talked about things she would see, hear, and taste. We talked about the mask on the dentist, gloves on their hands, a light that shines in her eyes, and the tools they would put in her mouth. We even showed her how to floss.
Finally, the day arrived and E was eager to go.
She held Daddy's hand most of the time.
Checkin' out her smile. This was the calm before the storm. Everything was running so smoothly until the actual dentist came in to see her wearing his funky googly-eyed magnifying glasses. E began crying at this horrific sight and started climbing out of the chair as fast as she could to jump into A's lap. Things calmed down after A told him to take his glasses off. E then left on a high note after fishing through the Treasure Box and then receiving a new toothbrush and colorful flossing sticks.
Beautiful!
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