Dental Visit

The Babe had her very first dental visit today.  We saw a pediatric dentist our pediatrician recommended.  I informed them ahead of time about the Babe's allergies, and reminded them once in the office.  For me, the stressful part of the visit was how the Babe would handle any of the cleaners, not the actual procedure.  While crying and screaming may be embarrassing, I can live with that. 

Anyhow, the Babe wanted to play with the toys in the office.  Since I doubt most people eat in a dentist's office, I wasn't concerned about that.  However, once in the exam room, that's all she wanted to do was play.  She then was afraid of the chair and the tools.  Easing her into it wasn't working.  So, I was given an option- hold her tight or they could use a papoose.  Thinking it was a simple cloth thing, I o.k.'d the papoose.  Turns out its a back board with soft sides that cross over.  I held her hands, but she was restrained.  That made me feel bad, however, it had to be done.  She cried and screamed, but the dentist got her teeth cleaned. It didn't seem to phase the dentist or tech (which is why I was happy to see a pediatric dentist rather than a regular one).  The dentist said it was great that the Babe is strong-willed, and will serve her well later in life.   The front desk person and tech also commented on the same.  Gee, that makes me feel great when she's fighting us on routine things, but glad her stubbornness will pay off later.  Actually, glad they could find the positive in it, too. 

After she was all done, the Babe got two toothbrushes and picked a toy ring as her prize.  The dentist asked for a hug, which was nice, until we got to the front of the office.  That's when the Babe had some hives pop out on the upper part of both cheeks.  Either the scrub top irritated her face, or something on it caused a contact reaction.  I washed her cheeks off, watched for a bit, and the hives eventually went away.  Go figure that it wasn't the pumice paste used to clean her teeth but a simple hug that triggered the reaction.  Life with an allergic child requires constant watching.  Nothing can be simple, not even a hug.