We've been delaying the Dentist for some time and now that she's four, I feel horrible that she hasn't been yet. As luck would have it, there was a cancellation and we got the appointment today.
I actually wonder if the delay was actually a benefit because she's heard so much about going to the Dentist that she no longer cried and screamed at the thought. Of course, I figured we'd still have a nice meltdown at the office.
So to prepare, I let her play at McDonalds an hour before. While we were at the store earlier, I saw our neighborhood newspaper which had a picture of her dentist on the front. I mentioned it to her in this very positive way: "Hey, here's your dentist."
And as luck would have it, the guy behind, speaks loudly in horror about going to the dentist: "She has to go to the dentist. Poor kid. Everyone hates the dentist."
Luckily, Liz didn't hear most of what he said - as he proceeded to go on and on and on and on about how horrible his childhood dentist was and the torture he endured. Don't get me wrong. I wasn't a huge fan of my childhood dentist who was known for taking smoke breaks in between treatment.
But I really wanted Liz's attitude to be positive so that her experience might go well.
Despite the loudmouth at the grocery, things couldn't have been better! She had an excellent dental hygienist. She let them clean her teeth, take XRays and even do a fluoride treatment. They even took her on a tour of the office.
There are some concerns with kids with achondroplasia about teeth crowding, etc ... Right now, Xrays show that Liz's permanent teeth are precisely where they should be.
She also is cavity free - which we hope to maintain. She got her picture taken for the "cavity free" bulletin board.
Here are some pictures from the cell phone - so they're not perfect. You'll notice some tentative looks from her, but overall, she was quite amazing.
Check out those shades they gave her so the light wouldn't bother her eyes. Impressive.
