BREAKTHROUGH!

We have struggled with Em and her teeth since she was a baby--it has always been the single most difficult part of our daily routine with her.  I literally used to put her on the floor and straddle her so I could hold her arms down and brush her teeth, because that's the only way I could keep her still enough to do it.  I'm certain those types of desperate measures haven't helped her associate brushing teeth with anything good, but dental hygiene is just a non-negotiable with me.

As she's gotten older, she refuses to try different toothpaste and toothbrushes.  Years ago, my mom had given her some Kid's Crest toothpaste that had a picture of Elmo on it--of course, it became the only toothpaste she would use, and when we tried to restock, I found out they don't make it anymore. So I found the closest thing to it and cut the label off to disguise the new toothpaste.  It worked and has continued to work, but the label has seen better days now.  Still, Em refuses to use anything but her "Elmo by himself" toothpaste.  The daily tooth-brushing routine has its ups and downs, and she is able to brush her own teeth, but we almost always do it for her because she won't do a thorough job.

So needless to say, her dentist visits are something we all dread every six months.  Mick and I have both always gone to the appointments, and typically it takes both of us plus another hygienist to hold Em down while they look at or polish her teeth.  We've been working up to this appointment for a while now--I even bought dentist tools so we could play with them a little at home and she could get used to them and understand they weren't scary.  Mick wasn't able to come to the appointment, and we decided to try something different.  I got in the chair and held Em in my lap--so they leaned us back and she was lying on top of me with my arms around her.  She was nervous and cried a little, but actually opened her mouth and let them polish her teeth.  When it was time for the dentist to examine her, she was okay by herself  (which is when I got to take this picture)!  She did bring Daku (her stuffed tiger) for bravery, and her silky blanket for comfort.  I was so excited and relieved I was in tears by the time I took her back to school that morning.

It was by far our best dentist appointment ever--she will get x-rays the next time we go, so we'll see how that goes!