First Dental Checkup

Sarah had her first official visit to the dentist on Thursday.  She came with me to my last cleaning and sat on my lap watching intently the whole time.  She let the dentist look in her mouth and count her teeth with the metal pick, but that was it.  This time, she had a real checkup.

I scheduled back-to-back visits for us, thinking that watching me would increase Sarah's comfort level.  When the hygienist said she was first and asked her to get in the chair, Sarah and I were both surprised.  I was afraid we were headed down a bad road, so I got in the chair and had her sit on my lap.  She wasn't too excited about opening her mouth for the hygienist, and she didn't want to lie down at first.  I finally convinced her to lie back on top of me, but she held her head up. I would have bet money that the hygienist wasn't going to get into her mouth.

Then, Sarah laid her head back and opened wide.  The hygienist touched each of her teeth with the pick, and she didn't move.  When the hygienist picked up the polisher, I figured it would be a deal-breaker, but Sarah opened up again and actually let her polish her teeth!  When it was time to rinse, the hygienist sprayed water in Sarah's mouth, stuck the green vacuum thing in, and Sarah instinctively closed her mouth around it.  You'd think she'd done it a hundred times!  The hygienist said she was the best two-year-old she'd ever had.

When the dentist came in, Sarah was a little nervous again, but she cooperated with the exam.  The dentist said she has large molars and lots of space between her teeth, which bodes well for her adult teeth.  We may even avoid braces!  She has a class 3 underbite, which the dentist said may correct itself.  We'll just wait and see.

While I had my teeth cleaned, Sarah busied herself with the play garden they had, but kept coming over and sticking her face right in mine to see what the hygienist was doing.  She's a nosey one!

Sarah left with a bag full of goodies, including bubble-gum-flavored toothpaste (does it seem wrong to anyone else to make toothpaste candy-flavored?), a little two-minute hourglass to time her brushing, and Crayola flossers.  She spent the drive home checking everything out.  She was so excited to show Daddy!

She's always loved brushing her teeth (and hated having me brush them) and can spend five minutes doing so.  I think the timer will come in handy to limit her brushing, rather than encourage it.  She loves the flossers and is working hard to get the hang of them.  I hope she maintains her enthusiasm for dental hygiene.

Watching Sarah at the dentist, I was struck by how far she's come in dealing with health professionals.  Less than two years ago, she would scream if a doctor touched her.  Now, although she's still cautious, she can be brave and do what's asked of her.  I think it's a sign of her growing trust in the world, and Don and me.  She's come such a long way from China.