The Dreaded Denist, Minus The Dread

I have been dreading taking my son to the Dentist for ages. I had taken him to my own Dentist a few years ago but after realizing that the gap in relationship went far beyond just the fact that he wasn't a pediatric specialty, I put the whole teeth thing on the back burner. I still find myself shocked at how many professionals are not in touch with the special needs community but have yet to officially decide if it's because I am so intertwined in the community or if it's because I always had a connection to all kinds of people not just people who are like me.

After talking to some friends in the special needs community and hearing about a wonderful dental practice that specialized in not only children but special needs children, I decided I could no longer bury my head in the sand. I booked the appointment and planned to go see the oldest member of the practice. When we got there I was told that the Doctor had to leave for a family emergency but when I said I was open to other options they didn't make me reschedule. They thought I might only want the one I had chosen but we were flexible and I'm so glad we were. We got the most wonderful Doctor who not only did the actual cleaning for us but did a thorough job in a super short amount of town. We tried to do the cleaning without it but did have to use the papoose board and velcro my little man down. For one second it feels awful to do this to your baby but he quickly became calm and just let her finish her job. The Doctor was sensitive to his sensory sensitivity and finished the cleaning and the x-rays super quickly and with the least invasive techniques that she could offer. Ten minutes after she started he was finished with his cleaning, hugged his mom and was back to playing his ipad and relaxing. I had thought I would need an adult beverage with dinner but I too was calm and relieved with the process.

I love that there are so many aware professionals and practices that can accomodate us and outweigh those that are still out of touch with the many types of children and people that are here to stay. We were told that he did an amazing job and that his teeth looked great. He was easy and wonderful according to the Doc and she would not consider him a tough case by any stretch . Go figure! :). I am glad it's over for another 6 months but I am thrilled with how well the entire process went. N was happily rewarded with a new Dr. Suess book from Mom and Dad and that alone made it worth his while.

You know you picked the right place when your little man has a new obsession with Dr. Suess books and

the waiting room is equipped with a copy of every single book in the series. This kid was in his glory!