Simon + Katie + The X-ray

Last week Simon got to be Katie's patient in one of her college classes.

She's studying to be a Dental Assistant and asked me if he could be her patient for some x-rays. I asked Simon if he would be willing and he was - he thinks Katie is pretty darn cool and was excited to see her at school.

She and Simon have a really great relationship so I was interested to see if the fact that she was the one doing the x-rays would make a difference in how the whole experience was for him. He's been doing really good at the dentist the last few visits but it's still not his favorite thing (seriously, not sure how many people count going to the dentist as a favorite thing but you know what I mean) and it's been a challenge to get x-rays done for him in the past.

I picked him up a few minutes early from school on Wednesday and we headed out to her college (there's a whole dental clinic there).

I filled out some paperwork and he played Angry Birds in between attempting to sneak away to find Katie. Chris arrived just as Katie came out to the waiting room to invite Simon back for the x-rays.

First thing she did was take his blood pressure. Chris and I each took a bunch of photos with our phones (hence the black and white photos you see here - not great lighting in the dental clinic) and Simon was all smiles and just so happy.

Then Katie walked him down the hall to the small room with the x-ray machine.

This was not just any old x-ray, it was a panoramic. Above you can see where she was getting him set up (he wore a vest for the actual x-ray) - standing with his toes on the line and his mouth on a bite plate.

He did awesome during the whole process. A completely willing and eager patient - no complaining or asking if we could leave, no expressions of anxiety - he simply followed Katie's directions with enthusiasm.

The whole thing took about 30 minutes. The actual x-ray portion was pretty quick and then we waited a bit for the x-rays to be developed.

He was so excited to see the pictures of his teeth. They came out great.

Nice job Simon and nice job Katie. So glad you are a part of our lives.

I asked Simon last night what was his favorite part and he said, "I saw my teeth on the pictures."

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38 thoughts

  1. patty says…
    03/12/2012

    a positive experience for kids is a positive experience for the momma! way to go simon (& katie)...

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. tania willis says…
    03/12/2012

    we need more people like katie in this world! GO, Smon, GO!!!! this post completely made my heart smile for you, Ali.

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. Mary Rogers says…
    03/12/2012

    so awesome Simon! and so awesome Ali that you have Katie in your lives : )

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. Debbie says…
    03/12/2012

    Excellent! That confidence will carry over. A student with her friend. It shows how trust means alot to confidence. Yeah Katie and Simon.

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. Cristin says…
    03/12/2012

    This is really great! Hopefully, his positive experience with Katie will carry-over into his regular dentist visits! :-)

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. Cecilia says…
    03/12/2012

    how lucky for you to have a familiar face at the dentist for your kids! so cool that it really did make the whole process go smoothly.

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. Edith says…
    03/12/2012

    Wow, this is wonderful! I guess Katie will be able to put a lot of people at ease in the future. :-)

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. Cathy L. says…
    03/12/2012

    That's great! Glad it was a good experience for him. Dentist visits aren't fun for anybody!

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Claire says…
    03/12/2012

    As a Mom of a Special Needs kid, I know how amazing this visit must have been for Simon and Katie. Nice job to them both, but nice job to Mommy to set up this amazing experience for him!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. KSW says…
    03/12/2012

    Cheers to everyone. Good dental hygiene is vital - and I am delighted he found the x-rays rewarding.

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. KSW says…
    03/12/2012

    Great shots, too. I loved the one of his reflection in the back mirror of the panoramic.

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. sharon says…
    03/12/2012

    Hi Ali,

    Great going for Simon! Kudos....I think a positive experience as he had will be remember and squelch dental fears to an extent! thanks for sharing.
    hugs 7 blessings

    Sharon Dryjanski Phoenix Az

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Deb J says…
    03/12/2012

    I think this is the neatest thing. I'm so glad that Simon had a good experience with this. Hopefully it will carry through to any other time he goes. Great that you and Chris were both there for him and to take pictures.

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Eh says…
    03/12/2012

    So cool and such a great experience for Simon :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. Suz says…
    03/12/2012

    Awesome. Simply AWESOME. :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. Debbie P says…
    03/12/2012

    Very cool experience. Now he'll probably be more at ease with the entire process.

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. Paula G says…
    03/12/2012

    Awesome! Happy that each of you shared this wonderful experience. My 14 yr old has Aspergers and sensory issues, so the dentist visits didn't get anywhere until we started having an anesthesiologist involved, which us both stressful and very expensive. I would love to "have a Katie" in our lives! Great job Somon!!!!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. Marsaille says…
    03/12/2012

    That is wonderful! Glad you are the kind of Mom who wouldn't shy from this because of past experiences. Probably a great stepping stone for him to be even more comfortable with someone else.

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Jan from Canada currently living in Oz says…
    03/12/2012

    Katie, as an instructor in an Bachelors of Oral Health program, you look like a natural girl :)
    Simon, I wish there were a million of you in this world.. Your positive spirit needs to be bottled and dropped from the air all over the world.. We are all so blessed that mom shares a little bit of you with us :)
    Lovely day everyone!
    Cheers,
    Jan

    Reply 0 Replies
  20. Amy says…
    03/12/2012

    katie rocks! and so does simon!

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. Katie says…
    03/12/2012

    So happy about this.. I'm so proud of him! Love that little man! And I am so glad you guys are in my life. I feel very lucky!

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. aliza says…
    03/12/2012

    Lovely story. I do have one nephew, who strangely, loves the dentist. His sister on the other hand, not so much.

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. Carmel Keane says…
    03/12/2012

    I am an x-ray technician and settling children can always be a challenge. We very quickly learn how to best assess the whole situation - parents can be either a help or sometimes a hindrance. Simon would've loved seeing his panoramic film 'cos it looks like a big smile - so rewarding for his awesome effort! Well done Katie.

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. Kimberlee says…
    03/12/2012

    So cute. Glad the experience was a good one.

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. Tracy Smith says…
    03/12/2012

    Way to go, Simon! I am taking my autistic son to the dentist on Thursday; he normally does pretty well - but I think Simon has him beat! :)

    Reply 0 Replies

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