A very entertaining dentist visit

Today was one of the most entertaining visits I've ever had to the dentist. After I dropped Glitter off at school, Sparkle and I continued on to the dentist's office. I brought a bag of schoolwork for Sparkle, but she had barely sat down before it was time to go back to get my teeth cleaned.

At first Sparkle was shy, but I asked the hygienist's name and then introduced her to Sparkle. Sparkle started doing schoolwork, but the fascinating world of dentistry held far more allure than arithmetic. Soon Sparkle was standing next to the hygienist and talking away. Sparkle started by asking questions about everything she saw - from a little square of cotton, to how they cleaned the dental tools. The hygienist explained that she didn't have children yet, but often babysat her nephew. Eventually the hygienist and Sparkle were chattering away like old friends. They talked about x-rays, hair color, toy cars, favorite colors, fossils, mouth guards, homemade dresses, sisters, books, nuns, in-laws, and more than I could keep track of.

Meanwhile, I just laid back and listened, amazed at Sparkle's chattering and thankful for the hygienist's friendly nature. I couldn't do much else while my mouth was being worked on. During a lull in the conversation, Sparkle dug a clipboard out of my purse and she drew a picture of the hygienist cleaning my teeth. I could hear Sparkle humming the theme from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony as shew drew.

Near the end, Sparkle started hinting about the red translucent toothbrush that she was given at my last dental visit, but the hygienist didn't pick up on it. Sparkle was a bit put-out that she wasn't given a toothbrush at this visit (even though the visit wasn't for her), and she pouted for a while. I left her alone for a while, at her request, and halfway through the drive home she was her cheerful self again.

WTW: Daily flossing pays off. My teeth were in good condition. The entire procedure could have taken a fraction of the time if it weren't for Sparkle's constant questions and the inevitable wait for the dentist himself.