Another week in the life of an expat in Germany has begun! Another week filled with lessons beyond my German language work books continues! Lessons of dental hygiene brought to you by the local dental practice.
Yes, a trip for me and the kiddos for our 6 month cleanings! Now, even state side a trip to the dentist was more often than not something I feared! As the mother, it was the shame of "your children should be brushing better;" "How often do you see them flossing?” And for me, maybe a little embarrassment..."maybe a little less coffee!" So, you know before you even go into right, this is gonna suck! Not only will the appointment be filled with shame and embarrassment, but now I get the joys of misunderstanding and lack of knowledge on the "German" way!
Now I will say that we went a couple weeks back for our dental meet and greet! Kind of a customary thing here in Deutschland! Say hello, let them check out your teeth, and then set up the appointment! When we did that we were able to meet both doctors (Zahnarzt), and the one assistant that spoke English! It is a lovely office, but there are some differences!
So, my poor son was the first one to go, and not only did her need the cleaning but also his teeth sealed to prevent any growth of cavities! Ugh! This is a painless procedure, however they wanted his entire mouth dry...so to suctions later and a couple cotton pads shoved in that kids mouth his was ready to go! He did great, he survived all four molars being sealed, a polish (the first time) and a painted on fluoride treatment! When all was said in done they gave my giant 9 year old a sticker, you should have seen his face as a look of "What the.." came across his face! All that for a sticker, can’t even get a new tooth brush!
Now me...cleaning would actually be a poor description of what happens to your mouth! They remove either willingly or by force anything and everything that is/could/or may someday cause damage to your teeth! As I sat in that chair cringing as they excavated all canals and trenches of my teeth, I couldn't help but think that the tooth fairy must be German, man they love themselves some white teeth! After the cleaning, comes the polishing...which is basically sand (no flavor) being scrubbed across your teeth...think sanding wood floors! In the end, I am doing everything wrong I could use a better brush and better floss, and maybe I should pay closer attention to my teeth! In the end I thought, man, my teeth actually hurt (they were in pain for over 18 hours)! Crazy!
And then, saving the best for last.....my darling take crap for no one daughter! Let the dentist have a shot at her! So when the smaller kids go they basically get a lesson on how to brush! My daughter had to eat a purple tablet and move it around her mouth! This highlights the spot they need to brush better. Well, very little showed up, so the assistant than had to make a point to search her mouth to find these spots! When she succeeded it was time to brush! I shamefully removed Abigail's brand new tooth brush from my purse; you see my daughter has bitten this poor thing to its death! The assistant ask me it's age...defeat; I answer 4 weeks, and Abby looks up sparkling because she has just realized she can shame me into the purchase of a new one with...."No mommy, you keep saying it's new but you got everyone else one and not me!" Ugh...the master strikes! The assistant says, oh yes you must get her a new one!
And that was it! The dentist! Ahhh or Ugh?
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