Cue the mom guilt.
This morning, Violet had her follow up appointment after her dental checkup earlier this month, to fill the cavity discovered on the last trip to the dentist.
Is it second child syndrome? (Olivia had zero cavities). Did we make her floss enough? (Probably not). Do we let her have more juice than we let Olivia have? (No, not really). Truth of the matter? She brushes just fine, frequency wise, and we should probably be more diligent with the flossing, but those little teeth are very close together and here we are, with a couple of tiny cavities that need to be filled, creating mom-guilt induced bouts of anxiety for her appointment, since I learned that she needed a follow up appointment for fillings.
I woke early, anxious about the appointment, about whether she was going to be uncomfortable, in pain, whether she was going to be scared of the needle for freezing, and whether she was going to be up for going to craft camp after her appointment was over.
Seven years of parenting, and the second kid, and I couldn’t hack it - Jamie took her to the appointment. I’m going to blame it on hormones, but really, he is the more level-headed of the two of us, the one that’s not going to cry his face off if she’s in a bit of discomfort. He’s going to be the one to keep her calm, and I’m going to be the one who texts him 37 times in forty minutes, wondering whether she’s okay.
After the appointment, when we met with them, to bring Jamie lunch for work, and she was crying.
My heart ached, for a moment. Until I realized that she was crying because she didn’t get to go inside and see Grandma, not because it was a horrendous experience that scarred her for life.
No, she was fine. More than fine, she was super stoked about the cool hair-styling kit she got from the dentist’s office.
A little frozen still, with that half-frozen smile, she proudly showed me the hair ties, comb and bag she got as swag. She was fine, and wanted to skip craft class, to go to the playground with her big sister - not because she was in ohmygod-all-the-pain.
Why is it I always forget how resilient these little people are?
Time and time again, in our local Mom’s group, Aspen Trails Dental is recommended over and over for parents searching for a kid friendly dentist in Sherwood Park. They’re incredible with the kids, easy on the parents, and they have the best toys (like seriously, the best). If you’re searching for an Edmonton and area best dentist for kids - you’ve got to go there.