That is the only picture that I took at the dentist's office today, and I am glad that I have it so that I can remember that there was a point in time while we were there that he was perfectly content watching whatever movie they had on while he played with my car keys. I think I could really just write, "Well. We survived," and that would pretty much sum up today's events. But what fun would that be? I was able to get Roman an appointment this week (for tomorrow actually), but when the office called today and said they had a cancellation and asked if I wanted it, I said yes; I really just wanted to get this trip over with, and I really wanted some reassurance that his tooth was going to be okay. So... wait, can I back track for a brief moment? Sure I can, I'm writing this thing. So I called a different office first and made an appointment, but something seemed a bit off. The receptionist was really spacey and didn't seem to be paying attention to anything I said, even though the majority of the time I was on the phone, I was answering her questions. As soon as I got off the phone I knew I had made a bad decision, and I kept thinking about how put off I was after that phone call, so I started looking around for a different pediatric dentist, and I am so glad that I did. I called the first place and canceled, and they have since called me twice to confirm the appointment and get my insurance info. Clearly, that place is either incredibly unorganized or staffed with idiots (or both), and I am glad I trusted my instinct not to go there. But the dentist's office we will be going to now is fantastic. It's decorated in a luau/everybody's gone surfin' theme, and in the waiting room they have a movie playing, clean books and toys, and this big box toy with controllers on the outside that control these big trucks on the inside, and Rome was obsessed. Rome's dentist's name is Dr. Dino, and it makes me laugh because I am clearly a five year old. Everyone was so nice, and the dentist was so thorough and helpful. I am really hoping that phobias aren't hereditary, because I have far too many, and going to the dentist is one of them, but I am a bit worried that after today's trip, Rome will be less than thrilled to go again. Again, I have to remind you of how nice everyone was about everything because Rome threw the biggest screaming and squirming fit I have ever seen, and this was just during the examination. All Rome had to do was lie back on my lap and open his mouth. There were no scary drills or tools, just the dentist and that mirror thing, but Rome wasn't having any of it, and he screamed as though we were causing him actual physical harm. It was brutal. I apologized for his reaction, but they said that this is actually fairly normal for a one year old, but still, it was over the top.
So that was part one of Rome screaming his head off. Part two came after the dentist gave me his assessment. In a nutshell, the tooth broke cleanly, and there doesn't seem to be any damage to the gum tissue, which is good news because this means that the tooth will most likely not become discolored or have to be removed because the tooth died, or anything like that. But it is a significant chip, so the dentist wanted to put some sealant on it for the time being. He says that once Rome is old enough to sit in the chair and allow the dentist to work on the tooth, he should be able to make the chip in Rome's tooth look much less noticeable. So hopefully this means that he won't have a giant chip/gap when he starts school. The part two of the scream-fest lasted the entire 10-15 minutes while the dentist and assistant cleaned the tooth and put the epoxy-sealant on. Rome screamed and tried to wriggle away the whole time, and when we were done, his hair was soaked in sweat. I felt so, so awful. But his tooth will be much stronger now with the sealant, and, in a totally selfish, horrible mother kind of way, it was kind of nice that all Rome wanted to do was cuddle with me after all this. And, yes, I realize that's a terrible thing to say, but really, he NEVER cuddles anymore, but after his trip to the dentist he wouldn't let go. The other good thing was that Rome got TWO rewards instead of one today: a little bath toy fish and a pinwheel that the nice assistant was trying to occupy Rome's attention with. We have to go back in a couple months to check the seal and to have fluoride put on Rome's teeth. I am really hoping that that trip will go more smoothly, but I am not holding my breath.