BY DAWN REED

It is my great privilege to be a dental assistant at a pediatric practice. I didn’t find out what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was 44. (Late bloomer.)

Most people despise going to the dentist. They hate it like, well, a toothache. Despite that, helping kids and teenagers have cavities filled or teeth wiggled out (aka pulled) is my favorite thing ever.

We pray before we begin and as we go. (That whole “pray without ceasing” verse – 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – surely pertains to pediatric dentistry.) During the course of the day, we see so much of God working, of His blessings.

A few days ago, a precious 6-year-old touched my heart deeply…

David* had several cavities that needed to be taken care of. To enable us to get the work done, he took some medicine to help him relax. At just the right time, he was feeling wonderfully chilled. We rolled him back in a red wagon and then he hopped up on the chair for us to begin. He started smelling laughing gas as I applied topical gel to his gums for them to start getting numb. (I call it magic jelly.)