Today my five year old had a dentist appointment. I've come to dread these. Not because of my daughter's behavior. She's a model patient. It wasn't the behavior of my other two children that I dreaded either. No, it was the behavior of the dental hygienist that I find so disturbing. I take the kids to a pediatric practice with several dentists, and many hygienists. I LOVE the dentist we see. I'm not so fond of the hygienists, however. It starts with the questioning when they call your name. "She can't come by herself?" they ask. They always seem so perturbed that I accompany my children into the room. I really don't get this. They are children, of course they want Mommy there. And by the way, Mommy wants to be there. Especially since they seem to not want the parents around. When Livvy climbed into the chair, the hygienist questioned her. "What grade are you in?"
"Kindergarten," Olivia replied.
"Well, does your mommy stay with you all day at school?" the hygienist asked. I couldn't help but giggle to myself.
Olivia looked at her and replied, "Well, actually, I'm homeschooled." Way to go, Livvy!
"Oh." said the hygienist, clearly disappointed that her attempt at belittling my child had failed.
Olivia had the a "spot" on a molar they were watching from her last visit. I mentioned it to her. Now I'm used to the scrutiny of the pediatric hygienists. They like to talk to you like you're an idiot, and question you about your child's eating habits. Usually, I find this mildly annoying, and somewhat judgemental. In this case, I'm assuming because of her cavity, the questioning was in complete overdrive. I mentioned when she first started, that Olivia had inherited her Dad's soft teeth. She disregarded me, because of course I'm just the mommy, what do I know?
"Does she eat a lot of chewy snacks?" asked the hygienist.
"No" I replied.
"She doesn't eat fruit roll-ups?" she said incredulously.
Hmmm...didn't we just cover this, I was thinking. But I just said, "No, I don't buy them."
She continued her quest to find fault with my parenting, questioning me about every harmful food known to man.
Then came my favorite part. When they put the pink stuff on their teeth, so they can pass judgment on your brushing technique. The hygienist seemed gravely disappointed when there was no major red staining. Score one for Mommy's brushing!
"Well, does she floss?"
"I floss her teeth for her." I replied.
"That's good, she's too small to do it herself." (Thanks for the pointer, I wasn't doing because I enjoy flossing people's teeth!)
Then I was interrogated about Olivia's drinking habits. The horror! I let my child drink OJ with calcium! Apparently I'm a very neglectful parent. You would have thought I said I gave her battery acid! I commented that I was just following my pediatrician's recommendation. Olivia hates milk. Which the hygienist found shocking. Then she asked, in a very disapproving tone, "Well, does she walk around all day with a sippy cup?"
"No, she's five, not two." I stated, in my "you're really starting to annoy me" voice.
She seemed taken aback by my tone. "I'm just trying to figure out why she has a cavity."
She took it down a notch, but continued questioning me and Olivia about her eating and dental hygiene habits. Finally she came to a stunning conclusion. Perhaps it was just genetics, and Olivia inherited soft teeth. "Some people are just more cavity prone than others."
Hmmmm...where have I heard that theory before?
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2 comments:
LOL! Where did this lady come from? She was more determined to find fault in your parenting skills than she was in treating your dd. Sounds similar to my old Dentist. We switched and are loving our new one. I'm so glad that you stood your Mommy ground. Way to go!
I wouldn't even think to ask if a 5 year old was using a sippy cup!! My almost 3 year old would be offended by such a question!
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