Dentist Appointments, Round 1

F, S, and I had dental cleanings and check-ups scheduled for this afternoon. I took F out of school at noon and picked S up early from the sitter.

This was S's first time at the dentist, and he was so excited about getting a new toothbrush ... That was before he actually had to sit in the dentist's chair.

F had her teeth cleaned in one room, and I was in another with S. After the hygenist finished my teeth, S sat on my lap in the chair, the hygenist gave him some sunglasses to wear, and she started to tip the chair back. Once the chair started tipping back, S did NOT want to be in it, even if he was on my lap.

The hygenist ended up tipping the chair back up a bit, and, after some tears, S let her count his teeth and take a look at his tooth and gums that he injured back in August. When it came time for her to clean his teeth, S cried and cried and cried. He turned his head away and wouldn't let her do anything with his mouth. She even polished his fingernails on one hand so that he could see what the toothbrush felt like. Even that didn't do the trick, and he continued to cry. Finally she and I just decided that she wouldn't be able to clean his teeth this time.

When the dentist came in to look at S's teeth, S let him without too much of a fuss. The dentist verified that S's tooth that had gotten a little loose when he hurt it was now solidly back in. S's gums on that tooth are still high with some of the tooth's root exposed. The dentist asked me if S seems to have any problems with sensitivity to cold because of it. S doesn't seem to. The dentist said that he thinks S's gums on that tooth will probably stay that way til his baby tooth falls out and will hopefully grow back to cover more of the tooth once his permanent tooth comes in. Because of that, because S doesn't have a sensitivity problem, and because the tooth hasn't changed color, the dentist said that any reconstructive procedure on the gums would be more traumatic for S than it was worth at this point.

Next week Josh and the 3 older kids have their dental cleanings scheduled.

Current Tally:
Cavities - 0
People with sparkly teeth - 2
People with sparkly fingernails - 1