Life on the Spot! Life and Leisure in Doha, Qatar

Xianelle has a date with the tooth fairy tonight.  We went to the dentist today for our dental prophylaxis/ cleaning which we do every 6-months.  We usually go to the company's own dental clinic but since there wasn't any available slots for the 3 of us for another 2 months, we decided to go to Queen's Dental Clinic at City Center instead.

However for our daughter Xianelle, what should have been a regular cleaning turned out to be the day when she'd have her very first tooth extraction.  This of course is one of the most significant milestones in a child's life as much as having his/her very first tooth.  A month ago, she started growing her 2 front teeth on the lower jaw.  We took her to the dentist then, however the dentist suggested that we wait for a month to see whether the milk teeth would then become wobbly.  A month later, the milk teeth stayed intact.

So today the dentist, who's a very nice Filipina, reckoned it would be best to extract the teeth as the new ones are about to come out completely.  Upon knowing this, we of course had to condition Xianelle's mind at such short notice.  Of course she was a little whiny about it at first but as always she understood it eventually.  Plus her dad promised to give her something special as long as she tries to be brave.  Tian and I were the first to go, saving Xiane for last. 

When it was her turn, the dentist gave her a pep talk to make her feel relaxed.  Then she applied topical anethetic on the gums to numb it a little for the injection.  After a few minutes, the dentist administered the injection on her gums.  I had to cover her eyes to make sure that she didn't see the syringe as it might scare her.  I also had to hold Xiane's head to make it steady.  However, once she's been injected, her eyes started to well-up.  She was crying although very quietly.  We thought she was just anxious of what's going to happen next.  But  tonight we found out that she was crying because she actually felt the pain from the injections. 

Being the brave girl that she is though, it only took a short time to console her.  Then the dentist was able to extract a tooth at a time in no time at all.  Tian and I were so relieved to see that Xiane has surpassed this ordeal triumphantly.  But most of all we were relieved to see her so happy when she got hold of her 2 front teeth which were placed in a tiny clear. plastic  After biting on cotton for a few minutes to stop the bleeding, she was completely ok.  Then we ate sundae from McDonald's.

It's such a relief that Xianelle didn't have a traumatic first tooth extraction today because as the saying goes, "first impressions always last."