Toddler Teeth

I took my oldest to this awful "Pediatric Dentist" where she looked over her teeth, pronounced them to be lovely,
only upon my mention of possible decay between the front two teeth, (lack of flossing, my bad), she noticed and decided both front teeth needed to be crowned, CROWNED, she wanted to crown what she hadn't even noticed!

  She then proceeded to lecture me about the importance of flossing my toddler's teeth. 

"I know" I responded, "but some times I am just too tired to fight her about it."

She continues.  If you will fight her about her clothes being presentable surely you should fight her about her teeth.  It's much more important. 

I looked at my darling two year old, sitting in the chair that had been fun, her gums now bleeding from a brushing?  Her hair was combed, her shirt didn't match her shorts and she was wearing florescent green socks pulled up to her knees, under her white floral sandals.  It was 2004, too late for the fluorescent rave of the 80's and too soon for the return in 2010's.  It was also August, in OMAHA! socks were her own fashion statement.

I scooped up my beautiful little girl and walked out, needless to say we never returned.  And those teeth, they never required treatment.

People like her make me wonder.  Have they ever brushed and flossed the teeth of a ticked off toddler?  Sure, every so often in the dental chair, where the child is so overstimulated they can't even imagine a protest. But at the end of a long tired day, night after night. Have they every brushed a toddlers teeth?

My guess is they haven't.  If they had they wouldn't act like its no big deal. 

Cause every parent wants to stick their fat fingers in a toddler's tiny mouth, holding them still by sitting on their chest, head locked between their knees, working around an octopus tongue and tentacle lips, brushing and flossing, hoping not to jab tender mouth material and all the while hoping not to get bit.

The dentists I choose are the ones that high five me for even trying.  The ones that compliment everything I am doing right.  Offering me flossing sticks so I can reach those tiny back spaces.  The world is down on moms enough.  I want a dentist (and doctor, and orthodontist, and...) that is going to high five me simply because I am doing the very best I can. And it doesn't hurt if he selfishly devours the thank you treats we drop at his office, and then of course, brushes extra careful that night.