The Blogfathers

I went to the dentist last week for a long overdue checkup. It’s never a pleasant experience even though I know the dentist very well. He’s my father. It’s clear that children’s teeth are getting worse in general but my last few visits have opened my eyes more regarding the issue of trust and how important it is for a child (and adult) to find a dentist that creates an atmosphere of calm and trust.

Saying that my dentist visit wasn’t pleasant probably makes me a wimp. You see, I’ve never had any dental problems. Not even a cavity. What has been my super advanced strategy? All I did was to follow my parents advice for the first 10 years or so of my life until my teeth matured. Brush twice a day and keep snacks spread out fairly evenly throughout the day. That’s it.

The issue of trust is very apparent today because my father has been retired for many years and only looks at my teeth as a favor. The visits keeps getting more and more “fun”, although others would call them crazy.

I’ve always felt very confident in the dentist chair with my father and so has thousands of others. He more or less specialized in seeing people who were afraid of even opening their mouths. Many of those were young children. But my father makes people calm just by being himself and he has converted many kids, who refused to even enter the room, into children who looked forward to him poking around their mouths.

Technology in dentistry has gone forward dramatically the past ten years and my father is not really on top of all the equipment. Let’s be honest, he’s completely lost. He just laughs as he enters the room asking what the different machines do and then starts playing around with them. Never without incidents. This is where trust comes in handy.

I know I’m in safe hands so I can relax as I enter the chair but a newcomer would be afraid. Very afraid. As my father touches the button to recline the chair, he pushes the wrong button and water squirts into my face. Then he tells me he forgot his glasses but thinks we might be alright anyway. As he starts working he incorrectly calibrates some little dial mixing water with the plaque removing tool and I almost drown. We take x-rays and the nurse has to help him with the ultra modern machine, my father turns on the light the first time instead of exposing the film.

Still, I feel calm because I know he would never attempt anything dangerous or something that might cause pain. But I must admit becoming a little worried as the chair suddenly jerks up a foot or so while my mouth is full of tools. My dad laughs and says he accidentally touched the wrong button with his knee. But everything goes well and as we leave everyone in the office is there to say a few kind words to my father. I wasn’t aware one could achieve rock star status by working on peoples teeth.

My wife, who has horrible teeth, has also seen my father a few times. And she still brings up how he continued to mess up with the many different tools. But she still felt calm and deep inside knew he was in control.

When you choose a dentist for your young children, make sure it’s someone they feel comfortable with. Don’t just disregard their feelings even though they have no experience in this field. Ask how your child feels and make sure the dentist takes extra time to chit chat and bond.

If things don’t feel right, change dentist. Your child will be seeing a dentist for many years and initial bad experiences will be remembered. Spend some extra time finding a kind, cool, and funny dentist who makes your child calm and dentist visits are likely to become a highlight.

Health and Fitness, Parenting Challenges