Dentist Visit

Today the kiddo's had their visit to the dentist - Squirt's fourth and Button's first! They both did pretty good with the cleaning but each had their moments. Squirt did not like the sideways x-ray and refused to have them done. I think this was because he has a small mouth like I do and it hurt him. (I know that seems contrary to the fact that the kid has a great set of lungs!)
Well, the dentist prefers for parents to stay on the sidelines so they won't interfere with what needs to be done, but I could tell that meltdown was coming and if that happened, he wouldn't be willing to go back in the future. I was not pleased that the woman, T, kept pushing and didn't seem to see the warning signs. I stood at the door and told Squirt that the x-rays needed to be done and then walked away, but when he got even more upset at not being able to see me and having that thing in his mouth, I went back to the doorway and asked if it could wait a year. I then went in and took my son from the room and consoled him. Only after he was calmed down did I ask him if he was willing to have his teeth brushed. I was fully prepared to walk out if it he got upset again. Fortunately, the experience wasn't so bad that he wasn't willing to let them take a look. The fact that he would get a "tattoo" and a toy was a bonus.
So, T redeemed herself by encouraging both kids to come get their tattoo and she proceeded to put them on. Then she held Button while B counted, cleaned and flossed Squirt's teeth. Button got to watch the whole thing, but I think she was slightly distracted by her Dora tattoo and new toothbrush. : )
Next, it was Button's turn. Squirt traded places and sat with T. Button was apprehensive and even with the hands-off policy, I could tell that if Mommy wasn't right there, she wasn't going to have any part of it. She lay down on the chair and I had to have both hands on her tummy for her to feel secure, but after that, she let B count, clean and floss her teeth too!
Then the Dr. came in and checked out both kiddos and said everything looked good! We just need to focus a little more on Squirt's gum line. Great!
Once we were all done, we went to the toy wall. Wow! They have a wide selection of toys for all ages for the kids. Squirt picked out a red, samurai-looking type sword (plastic, of course) and Button chose a plastic octopus that lights up and seems a lot like a squishy yo-yo.
For a treat, I took them to McDonald's for doing so well and let them have the sugar-free lollipops that the dentist had in their goody bags. Their toys were a hit after quiet time and even though Squirt doesn't want to go to back (I had a hard time convincing him that it wasn't just this dentist that does sideways x-rays), I think they have good memories of the day.
Glad that one's over and we can focus on the good parts for the next visit. : )