I Cast All My Caries

I took Erik to the dentist today. Dr. Mike apparently retired, so Dr. Brent took over. After I got over the initial shock of having what appeared to be a sixth grader take care of my son, Erik made some comments under his breath about one of his favorite television shows. As it turns out, Dr. Brent does look an awful lot like Steve, the original host of Blue's Clues. He just needs that fruity striped shirt.

The hygienist was able to take Erik up and down in the chair, and he is now an expert at operating the plastic suction tube (or, as I call it, the little "vacuum"). He used this device on Stinky-Dog's snout and laughed maniacally.

Although Erik stayed in the chair and remained fairly calm, he was obviously annoyed by being touched by the staff. Getting Erik to open his mouth is still almost impossible without prying it open with torturous dental devices, but they gave it the old college try. He was eventually distracted by the ominous noises coming from the next chair and became limp and semi-compliant due to his anxiety. Because of this, Dr. Brent was able to get a better look at Erik's bottom teeth. He then asked me if Erik had chocolate for breakfast.

Uh oh. Not a good sign.

We have two more "happy visits" scheduled for the next month to try to get a better look at the suspicious tooth. The dentist was unable to see much of Erik's top teeth at all. He very gently mentioned the "S" word to me.

Sedation.

I have more research to do on this topic about what is required in a dental setting, but I would be lying if I said this didn't scare the dickens out of me. I was barely okay with it when he was in a cardiologist's office surrounded by crash carts.

I allowed Erik to play with the toys in the waiting room for a few minutes on the way out and tried to shake off the curious stares I received from the other father who was at the next station in the examination area. I have to laugh because we make a complete scene at each and every appointment in offices all over town. Erik is always behind the desk helping schedule his own appointment, rolling on the floor trying to get a better look at the wheels on clinical chairs and tables (and asking where the lugnuts are), or singing songs in his own language at the top of his lungs. And he doesn't open his mouth at all without making some sort of loud sound. When they ask him to open it wider, his volume just goes up. Erik also cracks everybody up with his quips, Stinky-Dog voice, and reactions to things. I am quite confident that nobody will ever forget us.

And if they do, we'll be back for another round in two weeks!