I'm going to pose a few rhetorical questions. Let me know what you think...Do you ever give your kid cough syrup? They HATE that, but you do it because it's good for their well being. So WHY is it okay to skip brushing their teeth just because they don't like it?
The mouth is a germy, nasty, plaque-filled orifice. If you ever decided to skip wiping their butts at diaper time you could easily foresee the problems you would be creating. So why not clean the other end of the digestive tube just as frequently?
Have YOU ever had a toothache? Just because they are baby teeth doesn't mean their rotten teeth are any less painful. Do YOU like the taste of pus seeping in your mouth on a continuous basis? Would YOU get any sleep if your face was throbbing?
Is it really that much of a hassle to pin them down when they're little and scrub their teeth regularly until they realize it is just part of the routine? Is it more convenient for you to have your kid knocked out with pharmaceuticals and strapped down while someone with sharp instruments pokes and prods for hours at what's left of their teeth?
So, if any more mothers out there are planning to come visit me to fix their kindergartner's bombed out, stinky, infected mouths... Be warned. I am NOT going to be sympathetic when you tell me, "It's not my problem. Tell him (the 5 year old). He doesn't like to brush his teeth and won't do it when I tell him to."
Also, if you can't afford to fix the multiple abscessed teeth that are infected into the bone because you are using your kid's allotted child support to pay for your other kid's braces (from a different Baby Daddy who doesn't pay child support), don't be surprised if I get a flash of an expression that appears to be incredulous and a wee bit chastening.
Nope. Don't expect sympathy. It's taking every ounce of my strength not to kick your butt!
10 comments:
Go, Shana, go! You tell 'em!
Seriously? For real!? That is so sad! "It's not my problem. Tell him. He doesn't like to brush his teeth and won't do it when I tell him to."!!!!! It's called parenting, lady!
I really and truly can't believe that. You're a bigger person than I... way to restrain your fist. Or, your foot!
Just have pass along cards with a link straight to this post. I mean, it couldn't get any clearer than your post.
We have no problem sitting on the kids. I still sit on Elijah. Not figuratively, but he does NOTHING fun twice a day until those teeth are brushed. And at night, they are not only brushed but also flossed, and rinsed. He still has a cavity from time to time. SO...we have to be even more vigilant. I have three kids who have no cavities and two who struggle.
I also never go into the room with the kids. From day one, we put the kid in the chair and say adios. Let the good Dr. do their job! Without me!
GREAT post! I sense that maybe you had a hard day? Please tell me those are made up scenarios about getting mad at the 5 year old for not brushing his teeth and the child support $ going towards the sibling's braces. Those just break my heart. I'm proud of you for showing such restraint and not beating up parents. Keep up the great work, Shana!
"But it KILLS YOU!"- Brooklyn.
Yeah, we brush anyway.
I WISH I could say these were made up statements, but alas, they were straight out of a parent's mouth the other day. And then the next day, I had another (5 year old) kid with 18 out of 20 teeth that needed fillings, crowns, root canals, or extractions. I was just a little tired of the lame excuses. Be a PARENT, for crying out loud!
Diana, that was certainly one of the most poignant moments in my career... and BY FAR one of the funniest! Thanks for brushing anyway! (For a recap of what Diana's comment is all about, go to the following post:
http://vancleaves.blogspot.com/2009/01/very-vebose-verbal-scrapbook.html
Scroll through all the blah blah blah and find "Picture #4: December 28, Murder at Angie's House and the Fluoride Incident of '08."
I never even suspected that those scenarios were real!!? And I thought being a pediatric dentist would not include root canals, and crowns!! That's how much I know.
Give'em he-- Dr. Shana!
shana, why don't you say how you really feel?
heehee
Boy, you sound exactly like my husband. I always enjoy the stories he tells me of the five year old kids whose parents let them consume a six pack of soda and a box or fruit snacks a day and are completely astounded that their kids have cavities. Some things just seem so obvious. . .
I see kid patients on a horrifyingly regular basis who had full mouth sedation dentistry done earlier whose parents still can't seem to brush those teeth... I try to hide an evil little smile when I say, "...and we don't have sedation dentistry. We'll probably have to use some type of restraint..."
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