First dentist visit

Yesterday, I took B to the dentist for the first time. I was dreading it in a big way. A small part of me was hoping that it'd be another of those things I worried about that ended up being no big deal. But mostly I was dreading it and unfortunately, the dread turned out to be warranted.

I took one of our therapists along and big brother because he also had an appointment. We went a half an hour early in case B had trouble just being in an unfamiliar place. We had the lobby to ourselves and our therapist actually was able to do some therapy with him while we waited. He was very motivated to work because he was so excited to be out of the house. He did awesome during the wait period. He even did awesome going into the office. I brought his stroller and a whole lot of other goodies to try to keep him happy. He was willing to touch the hygienist's gloves and her tools but the minute she came near him to clean his teeth, he totally freaked out. We ended up with me in the chair, him lying on my lap and me holding his arms and head while our therapist held his legs and she and the hygienist tried to pry his mouth open. He cried the whole time and was red in the face and sweaty. I felt so bad for the other 3 year old in the office. I'm sure we probably scared him to death.

It was the dentist's idea to schedule the boys at the same time but that ended up being very bad advice. Big brother has been 2 other times with no problem but did not like the taste of the fluoride this time and was a little fearful himself. So before we were fully holding B down, I was going back and forth between the two of them and trying to console them. I didn't feel like big brother got the level of attention he needed or deserved. So now I know  and will schedule them separately next time.

Throughout this torturous procedure, they kept telling me that we could stop whenever it was too much. If they only knew how much I have to put this kid through on a daily basis, they'd know that was not an option. Plus, we were there and it wouldn't have made it any better to try another time. If anything, it'll likely be harder next time since he knows what to expect.

The good news is that both his and his brother's teeth look good - no cavities.  And we made it through and don't have to do it again for another 6 months. And he recovered very quickly.

I was strong. I have had experiences in the past where holding B down while he cries makes me cry too (blood draws, shots). I held it in. That is until his ultra sweet big brother said "mommy, is it ok if I get down from my chair to see if my brother's ok?". My eyes welled up quicker than I could answer him.