Going to the dentist is painful!

Not in the way you may think, though. Sure, there is nothing fun about having someone pick and inspect your mouth, spray water into your gums at a sonic speed to minimalize the the scraping and boring holes to China with the least amount of anesthestic they can get away with; but this isn't what I find the most painful. The part I hate the most is when your dentist calls you in to fill you in on your child's mouth.

I dread this part the most because it is one more place to make you feel like bad mom because you haven't done EVERYTHING perfectly. My children are pretty dilligent about brushing their teeth and when I feel I need to help they pretty much let me. This is the first time any of them have had a cavity; and the two that do, have them due to malformations not poor hygeine. So it seems like the visit should be breezy.... . Well, no. This is the part with all the advice that when put all together we should be spending about an hour a day as a family devoting our time to dental hygiene.

'Make sure your children always have chapstick on to prevent chapped lips, this is a main area for contracting a cold.' { who knew that chapped lips were grounds for negligence}

' Floss your children's teeth a few times a week on any teeth that touch, the other ones don't need it.' {I guess I better invest in a dental chair and hygeinist degree}


' Stop letting her suck her thumb.' { like I enjoy my 3yr old sucking her thumb and playing with my hair all day - I get so much done.}

' She has a little sore underneath her tongue. She says it is from trying to touch her chin with her tongue. I thought you should be aware and she probably shouldn't do that anymore.' {there so many reasons why this is just, well ?????}

' No candy, no soda, no chips, no juice, no fruitsnacks, no white bread, if they need to drink something water or crystal light.' {Crystal Light? and remember my kids have good clean teeth, we do indulge in these things some times, but never?}

' Brush your teeth with a small amount of toothpaste, with your brush at a 45 degree angle for 2 minutes in a circular motion. Spit, don't swallow, the toothpaste and don't rinse with water.''

How have we survived the ages with out modern dentisry? Will my children live to a ripe old age because I failed to apply enough chapstick? Will I live to see the day when a cavity can send you to jail for child abuse?

So why do I keep going back every six months? Because I know that dental care is beneficial. Why do I endure the motherly torture? Because I love my kids and want them to have a healthy mouth. Why do I keep going back to this dentist? Because he is a very nice man who my kids like and trust and I admire him for posting The Family: A Proclamation to the World in his waiting room. So really, I am either a glutton for punishment or I have a high tolerance for pain :)