Practice at the Dentist

I’ve asked my dentist a few times about when I should plan to bring Nora in for her first appointment/cleaning. Each time, they told me to wait until she was three years old. When I was there last December, they mentioned that the next time I come in for my own appointment, I should bring Nora with me to see the office, watch me get my teeth cleaned, and just get a feel for the whole thing to help her be somewhat familiar with it before it was actually her turn.

Today was the day.

Nora has been really big into going to the doctor for several months now. She got a huge kick out of coming with me to one of my OB appointments, and was ridiculously excited about taking Tessa to the vet back in February. And when Michael took her to one of her six-month ENT checkups for the tubes in her ears? You would’ve thought he was taking her to someplace REALLY fun. So this morning, when I asked her if she wanted to come with me to the dentist—”the doctor for your teeth!”—I was not at all surprised to hear her enthusiastic, “YES!”

I’ve been going to the same dentist since I was six years old, so the receptionist and some of the hygienists (well, and the doctor, too) have literally watched me grow up. So I think it’s fun for them to see how I now have a child of my own. When I walked in with Nora, they were excited to actually meet her in person (they ask to see photos every time I’m in there)!

We went back to one of the rooms and the hygienist grabbed a little chair for Nora to sit in to watch. She put a “bib” on me and said to Nora, “Look, I’m putting a bib on your mommy. Do you still wear a bib?” Nora nodded intently. Then she started putting on her gloves and mask, and explained to Nora why she was wearing them. Nora watched her like a hawk with a little smile on her face. It was too cute.

I was pretty impressed that Nora actually stayed in (or at least near) the chair. While the hygienist was doing the scraping part, Nora alternated between watching quietly and playing with her Little People Cinderella and Prince Charming figures that she brought with her.

When the hygienist was ready to brush my teeth, she called Nora over and asked if she could be a big helper. Nora smiled and nodded and listened to the instructions. She came over and stood by the opposite side of my head, and the hygienist gave her an important job—holding the little thing of toothpaste.

You wouldn’t even believe how proud she was. Every time the hygienist said she needed more, Nora held up the toothpaste proudly so she could take another swipe. Adorable.

Nora watched closely as she polished my teeth, and again, the hygienist was great and explained what she was doing, how the brush was controlled by the foot pedal, etc. Once that was done, Nora returned to her yellow chair while the hygienist quickly flossed my teeth. The doctor came in to do a quick exam and then I was done!

Before I could get out of the chair, the hygienist asked Nora if she wanted to “take a ride” in the chair with mommy… or by herself. Of course, Miss Independent said, “by yourself!” so I hopped out and let her hop in.

Seriously, what happened to my baby? How is it possible for her to look so big, yet so small (in that big chair!) all at the same time? *sigh*

The hygienist told her she was going to recline the chair, and Nora leaned right back with it as it moved. My kid: she’s a pro. :)

Next, she showed her the bright light and shined it right on Nora’s mouth. If anything, I could see that being a problem next time. Nora kept turning her head and closing her eyes. I’ll have to remember to bring her sunglasses! :)

She did ask Nora to open her mouth so she could count her teeth, and she obeyed—for about five seconds. But the hygienist wasn’t actually touching her or counting anything, so it’s all good.

For being such a big helper and a good little “patient,” Nora got to pick out a prize from the prize bin. After much too much deliberation, she picked a little stretchy pink T-Rex dinosaur. Two minutes later, at the checkout desk, she proclaimed that she no longer liked it. Oh well. It was a mostly successful visit! ;)

Seriously, though, I was so happy with how the morning went. I think it was a great suggestion to bring her in with me to help get her familiar. Nora had a lot of fun—so much so that she was visibly disappointed when we left! I hope she’s as enthusiastic when we go back in December. I officially made her first appointment, at the same time as my next one. I’ll go, and then she’ll go right after me.

In the meantime, I have to try to train her to use “real” toothpaste… the kind that needs to be spit out! Right now, she still mostly just chews and/or sucks on her toothbrush. I help when she lets me, but of course, most of the time I get scolded and told, “By yourself!” (which really means “by myself”).

Parents: How old were your kids when you first took them to the dentist? How did it go? How do you teach them to effectively brush, and how to spit toothpaste out? Do you actually floss their teeth (and if so… howwwww??)?