A Very Sweet Tooth

The little 6 year old and I have many things in common. We are both extremely competitive, we can both burp our names, and we both like cheating in snakes and ladders, or any other board game for that matter. However, there is another common bond - and that is our mutual love for sweets - or 'ket' as we say up here. Not Mars bars, Maltersers or Double Deckers, not sticky toffee puddings, crumbles or creme brulees...but the nasty sugary sweets that make your face twist with sour-ness, and your teeth disintegrate.

When my dad was in charge of Christmas dinner one year, he knew it was pointless serving me the horrible sticky Christmas Pudding. Instead, I was served a Barrett's Sherbet Fountain. It was delicious.
The hedge at the top of my mum's cul-de-sac probably still has at least 427 empty sherbet fountain wrappers stuffed in it (complete with the licorice stick - didn't like that) - my way of getting rid of the evidence after a sneaky trip to the shops on the way home from school.

And so, with the same love of 'ket,' it was without surprise that the 6 year old was summoned to the dentist today for her first filling.

I was filled with dread. I bloody hate dentists - ever since I sailed over the top of my handlebars at the age of 8, and dug my 2 front teeth in the tarmac.

The 9 year old had told the 6 year old that all she would have to do was hold her mouth wide open for 20 minutes, and she'd be alright. She had practiced this on a number of occasions in the car - training for her trip to the dentist.

How things have changed!

The dentist lady was lovely! She didn't whop out a great big needle and a pnuematic drill - it was like being in a cbeebies programme! She sat a Barbie doll on the 6 year old's knee and did everything to Barbie that she did to the 6 year old - she even put LIP GLOSS on her her when her lips got dry! 6 year old thought it was great! Not only did she get her tooth fixed, but she got a huge sticker AND a makeover!

Of course - you know what's going to happen now don't you. She's not going to religiously brush her teeth twice a day for 20 minutes a tooth, nor is she going to drink water and snack on celery for the rest of her life. No. She's going to scoff even MORE bloody sweets so that she can get to see the nice lady with the lipgloss again!...