The Dentist

Jackson went to the dentist today...no cavities!!!!!

But going to the dentist for Jax is so much more than that sentence above implies. When we first took Jackson to the dentist, he wouldn't even sit in the chair. We had to take him back to the exam room kicking and screaming. [We almost didn't return to this wonderful dentist b/c of the evil looks I felt that we got from some of the staff--come on, I'm thinking , this kid is autistic and you work for a pediatric dentist who specializes in difficult kids like mine. I digress].

We took baby steps toward where we are today. Jack actually goes to the dentist every 3 months. He no longer needs Dan to sit in the chair and hold him. He willingly sits down and opens his mouth (though he screams still in protest).

Two years ago, at the beginning of second grade, he missed the first day of school because he had to have dental surgery. This sounds much worse than it is. A nt kid would have just gone to the dentist, but Jackson had to get up at 5 am and go to the hospital to fill 4 cavities, pull a tooth, have his teeth cleaned and his permanent teeth sealed. I truly hope we don't have to do that again any time soon.

He now has all his permanent teeth. He won't lose anymore teeth, which we're all relieved about because every time he lost a tooth we wondered where it was, did he swallow it and how long was it loose? (He had a tendency to pull out a loose tooth sooner than most kids; he couldn't stand that loose sensation I guess).

Well, I'm quite proud of the fact that he now willingly walks into the building and acts semi-appropriately. Honest truth? Sometimes I'd like to scream my head off when they're scraping the plaque off my teeth too!!! ;)