I put off taking Will to the dentist like the slacker-type Mom that I am sometimes. I blew it off when the doctor told me, at his three-year appointment, that it was time for him to start going. I figured I had the whole year to schedule a visit. It's not like his teeth bothered him or seemed abnormal or anything.
Right before he turned four, I looked into pediatric dentists. I was afraid I'd be asked at his four-year doctor's visit if I'd taken him yet. (I figured there's probably some secret Parental Assessment page in his medical file - after all, I'd have a page like that if I were a pediatrician. I was fairly sure nothing had been recorded thusfar in the Crazy or Negligent column, and I didn't want to raise any red flags now.)
Even after I picked a dentist, I still neglected to call and actually schedule an appointment until after his 4th birthday, and the first appointment that worked for everyone was this Wednesday.
So we trekked into Caldwell Pediatric Dentistry (http://www.caldwellpediatricdentistry.com/)Wednesday morning, and found it to be a very nice, kid-friendly place. There was a little miscommunication about whether Sophie was supposed to see the dentist (she wasn't, according to me), but I assuaged my guilt by letting them see her too. (That way, see, if you AVERAGE their ages, they saw the dentist at age 3.)
Will was a fantastic patient. He sat in the chair and did everything they asked perfectly. I was very proud of him and almost teared up when I thought about what an independent little man he is turning into.
Right before he turned four, I looked into pediatric dentists. I was afraid I'd be asked at his four-year doctor's visit if I'd taken him yet. (I figured there's probably some secret Parental Assessment page in his medical file - after all, I'd have a page like that if I were a pediatrician. I was fairly sure nothing had been recorded thusfar in the Crazy or Negligent column, and I didn't want to raise any red flags now.)
Even after I picked a dentist, I still neglected to call and actually schedule an appointment until after his 4th birthday, and the first appointment that worked for everyone was this Wednesday.
So we trekked into Caldwell Pediatric Dentistry (http://www.caldwellpediatricdentistry.com/)Wednesday morning, and found it to be a very nice, kid-friendly place. There was a little miscommunication about whether Sophie was supposed to see the dentist (she wasn't, according to me), but I assuaged my guilt by letting them see her too. (That way, see, if you AVERAGE their ages, they saw the dentist at age 3.)
Will was a fantastic patient. He sat in the chair and did everything they asked perfectly. I was very proud of him and almost teared up when I thought about what an independent little man he is turning into.
Sophie did not want to sit in the chair, but she let them clean her teeth with a toothbrush while she sat in my lap. She did not want the dentist to look at her teeth and clamped her lips together firmly. (I'm not sure if this works with all kids, but I've discovered if you turn her upside down, she opens her mouth, similar to the way a doll closes its eyes if you lay it down. This provided the dentist with a quick glimpse of her chompers.) I figure this visit was more or less a practice run, so no worries.I was pleased with the visit. I thought it was basically going to be a PR campaign to make them like the dentist, but they really did clean the kids' teeth, especially Will's. They flossed and even took X-rays on Will. Everyone was very sweet and patient, especially Christen, our hygienist.
The dentist and hygienist reported that neither child had cavities and all of their teeth looked fine.
1 comment:
Kingston just had his first dentist visit at Caldwell! We really liked it too. I think I will try the turning upside down trick next time the pediatrician needs to do a throat culture on Solomon.
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