Gettin' our Teeth Did

(Cue the music from the movie Psycho)

Know what these are? It's a thumb crib for Sammy. Yes, it is time. She is nine and has refused to quit and I feel she is too old for this habit. And believe it or not, she doesn't agree with me. And she was none too happy to go to the orthodontist yesterday to have it cemented in. I know that those of you who really know Sammy are finding this hard to believe.

This process started two weeks ago. I took her in and they did pictures and x-rays. And she did really good! I thought maybe some maturity was happening and it made me feel good. Two days later I had (made) Nate take her in to get the molds taken of her mouth. That turned out to be a little tricky, but it got done. And yesterday was the day. The appointment was at 2:00. We got there and she signed it, yet refused to go to the back waiting room. And then I got her back there and she refused to brush her teeth. And then she wouldn't get in the chair. And then she wouldn't open her mouth. The orthodontist came over and inquired about her age and when he learned she was nine, he was all, "Oh, she should be able to do this just fine." I laughed and snorted quietly and sat back to watch.

She stuck that thumb in for the last time and sucked as if her life depended on it. And she thrashed her head around and wouldn't open her mouth. So I pried that thumb out of her mouth and she started screaming bloody murder. Keep in mind that we haven't put anything in her mouth yet. They need to fit it and adjust it before we can cement it in. She is screaming and all the other kids are staring at her in amazement so the orthodontist comes over to help and she yelled at him. Dig me a hole. He had to get firm with her and he left to see another patient. So the assistant puts her hands by Sam's mouth to get going and Sam slaps her hands away. Dig me a deeper hole. So now I am furious at her but I'm in a room full of people. Anyway, we continue on and we finally get it cemented on. It took 40 minutes! We got home and she was complaining that it was poking her in the mouth. I informed her that if she had behaved and let them do their job they would have adjusted it properly.

Now here is the part where I can feel nice. She looks miserable. I'm sure it is uncomfortable to have these wires in her mouth, but she is having to deal with her emotions in a way that she has never had to do before. I can see the cloud of misery hanging over her head. But guess what? She had no troubles falling asleep last night. And she is so miserable from the pokey wires that she hasn't really complained about not being able to suck her thumb.

Now this is the part where I'm not very smart. A couple days ago I realized that her semi-annual dentist appointment was today. The ortho yesterday, dentist today. Sam doesn't do well at the dentist. No, really, she doesn't. I called the dentists office this morning and asked them to give her their toughest, firmest hygienist. I just couldn't have another afternoon like yesterday. They were laughing at me, but they complied. And she did great! She even let them do fluoride on her teeth and last time that one little bit took about 20 minutes. They found a bunch of cement left over from yesterday that was poking her in the mouth and she let them take that off, so she is a little more comfortable. The bad news is....she has one cavity. So I get to take her back. Stay tuned.....