the most valuable treasure

i might be in the minority, but i actually love to go to the dentist.  i love the way my teeth feel after a cleaning.  sometimes i try not to eat for the rest of the day after i get my teeth cleaned.  some might argue that i'm teeth obsessed.  i dream about my teeth quite often - i dream that they have fallen out.  it's horrible.  a nightmare.  as a result of my obsession, i've been taking my kids to the dentist since they were very little.  zane has always done great in the dentist's chair, zander is lucky to be invited back after every visit, and zaiden usually requires a bribe to open his mouth for dr melanie.  today was our twice yearly scheduled appointment. d-day had arrived.

let's preface all this by me describing our last visit to the dentist.  zane rocked it.  he was perfect.  zander, not so much.  since his first visit, zander has required prescribed relaxants to survive his dental adventures.  we've been feeding him "magic peanut butter" for a few years now, and it's taken careful calculations to get his doseage right.  the first time we tried the peanut butter, i assured him he would see fairies and butterflies, so he was afraid to relax because he didn't want to miss the show.  the kid not only faught through the valium, he also fought through the nitris.  it was a nightmare - screaming, lurching, kicking.  had he been in a hospital, he would have been strapped down and sent to a padded room.  it was completely awful. 

two visits ago, i had his dosage just perfect - 1 3/4 pills.  he was relaxed enough that he wasn't screaming, but lucid enough that he could walk and talk.  however, his reaction time was a bit delayed.  the hygenist told zander to bite down on the straw-sucker thing, and he looked at her, but never bit down.  so she just moved it around his mouth and sucked out the water manually.  then, about 2 minutes later, her command registered in his brain, and zander bit down.  the only problem with this was that there was no sucker-straw thing in his mouth - it was her finger.  she came up out of that chair so fast and furious.  literally.  furious.  i mean, i felt bad for her.  but, zander had no idea what he'd done.  he thought she told him to bite down.  needless to say, that visit probably got him a mark in his chart.  eventually, he's going to be like elaine from seinfeld trying to sneak into vets' office for oral care.

this visit, i was prepared.  we had our happy peanut butter ready to go, nintendos, ipods, angry birds qued up on the cell phone.  i was set.  and then, zander refused the magic peanut butter.  what?  don't you want to see fairies and butterflies?? oh please, son, take the peanut butter.  nope, he was having none of it.  so we went in clean and sober.  the hygenist (a new one) seemed slightly nervous when we told her.  she put the bib on him and timidly got her tools ready.  i'm not sure, but i think i saw her put thimbles on under her gloves.  as she was about to begin, zander looked straight at her and said, "i don't like the water part.  can you please not shoot the water in my mouth?"  he sounded so grown up.  she looked at him and said that was fine.  no water shooter.  and that was that.  zander was perfect for the entire appointment.  he sat there like a big boy, got his teeth cleaned, and he manually rinsed with a cup of water.  it was great.  i was so proud - and relieved. 

zaiden waiting for his turn

next up was zaiden, and i had no idea how he was going to react.  to my surprise, he did awesome too.  he opened his mouth wide, he didn't bite anybody, and he even took the flouride treatment like it was an everyday occurance.  it was glorious.  all of my boys did great, and i didn't have to sneak out the back door with my face covered.  we were able to walk through the lobby and even got to stop at the treasure box.  zander makes his own rules at the treasure box.  he figured that since he was super great, he should get 2 prizes.  i think the staff would have given him the whole box after this day.

as the boys were digging through the treasure, i was reminded how my sister and i used to love the treasure box at our dentist when we were little.  now, in my mind, this treasure box was full of gemstones, gold, silver - true treasure.  i remember that we would leave with something super cool (and no doubt, extremely valuable) and a toothbrush.  as we strode out the FRONT door, with heads held high, my boys carried their goodie bags of toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, and their priceless treasure.  it was certainly a proud mommy moment that i hope to never forget.