The Dentist

Well, today Emily and Savannah had their 2nd dentist office experience. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, as Savannah has been telling me for the past two days that she was going to be scared of the dentist. I think she's really just scared of the chair because it moves up and down. Anyway, when we go there we had to wait awhile, and then they wouldn't let me come back with the girls this time. What's with that? I guess since they are a little older they clean their teeth in the big room with several chairs and several hygienists, so maybe there really isn't much room for moms to go back there? I was nervous that Savannah was going to freak out, but she didn't. I think I was a little apprehensive about not getting to go back with them because of a Dateline report I saw a few weeks ago about a chain of dental clinics that didn't allow parents in the room with their kids while they were being treated. Many of those horror stories were very unsettling--dental work that didn't need to be done, putting the kids in restraints to keep them still, etc. So, as I'm sitting in the waiting room, I'm trying to tell myself to relax--I'd been back with them during their first visit and I felt all the staff was very nice and trustworthy. Still--my girls are only 2 years old, and I guess I just expected to be able to go back with them for the next year or two. After 30 minutes, the girls came out with smiling faces, bags full of dental goodies--their favorite being chapstick...and then the hygienist hands them an Otis Spunkmeyer cookie. Uh-oh...Emily already saw the cookie, and she can't have it--milk allergy strikes again! The hygienist felt bad, I told her to just give me both cookies and that I'd "save them for later". Which really meant, when we got home, I then had to make some dairy-free cookies. I have a great recipe for Apple Sauce Oatmeal Cookies--they are lowfat, but still taste good. The only substitution I had to make was non-dairy margarine (Earth Balance). That seemed to be fine with Emily and she happily ate two cookies for snack.