Finding the right words...

Ok....I really think I will be put to the test in the next couple of weeks. Cody had a pretty rough night of sleeping last night. Woke up a lot and just sat straight up. Now I don't know if it was from the dental visit but I can say he hasn't done this before and yesterday was our dental visit and he did experience some pain and discomfort. Tonight, I was sitting with him and we were talking about the rings on his teeth and I started to tell him that he was going to have to get them back on and that the dentist was making him something he had to wear in his mouth. He just covered his little mouth and started to cry and said no. Really, how on earth am I going to do this? How on earth do I really explain this to him? I told him it was to fix his mouth and all he wanted to know was how long. I can't even explain that as 9 to 12 months seems like an eternity to him especially when he is trying to get down the days of the week still. We've talked about the cool fact of eating lots of ice cream and stuff. His last surgery was when he was 2 and I doubt he remembers that. Ever since then it's just been check ups and things that certainly didn't change how he feels. So where do I find the words to explain this to him? Especially when at times I don't understand the "why" in all of this either. This next step has been an emotional one for me so I don't doubt there will be a lot of tears shed. I guess for now I just need to talk with him a little bit everyday as those 2 weeks will be here before we know it and we will be back in that car. For any of you that have traveled this road and have some advice - I welcome it!