Changing Habits Acquired in Childhood

I had to go to the dentist today. Since childhood the dentist has been a problem for me. Now the dentist is almost an hour away from my home and going to the dentist is still a problem.

You may think that the real problem I have with the dentist now is the distance. Although the distance is an issue, that is only a minor nuisance. I have two related issues with the dentist that occurred early in my childhood. The first time I went to the dentist I was horribly ill from an abscessed tooth. The second time I went to the dentist I had to have 3 teeth extracted followed by 3 more a couple weeks later. I started out early only going to the dentist when I had a problem. The second issue I have with the dentist is that I always received a treat after I finished my dentist appointment.

When I was a kid, not only did the doctor hand out suckers at the end of a visit, so did the dentist. Not only did I get a sucker, but also because my first appointments were so bad, I always received a treat from my mom when I was done. My treat was usually a milkshake. Maybe my mom felt guilty about waiting so long to take me to the dentist. I don’t know. Anyway every time I went to the dentist I received a treat.

The results from that cycle of dentist than treat are that I hate going to the dentist and after every trip to the dentist I feel like I need a treat. Twice a year for the last three years, I’ve been going to the same dentist. After every dentist appointment, I would stop at Starbucks and get a Chai, Mocha or Latte and a scone.

This time around I spent the long drive to the dentist thinking about my twice-yearly habit. I made a conscience decision to make a change. When I was finished with the dentist, I stopped at the drug store and bought myself a few new barrettes for my hair. I’m thinking buying things for my hair is better than unnecessary food for my tummy. We’ll see. Maybe I’ve just begun another ritual I’ll have to eventually break.