The Dentist!

Showing off our teeth before John's big visit to the pediatric dentist

I love the dentist. For as long as I can remember I have enjoyed dentist visits. Yes, I have had fillings, a regular tooth pulled, and all four of my impacted wisdom teeth removed (I looked like a walking horror video for about 10 days following the procedure) so things haven't always been rosy for me while in the dentist chair. But I don't really mind. I feel like every time I go to the dentist the level of service has evolved so it gets more and more fun. For example, on my most recent visit they had TVs in all the exam rooms so I got to watch Food Network while they cleaned my teeth! Plus it is always fun to get a goodie bag with a new toothbrush and floss when you leave the dentist.

Living in England the last three years I was only entiled to one dentist visit each year. They were fine, but it was military dentistry so there were no frills. But I am greatful for our healthcare so no complaints. But the lack of regular cleanings made me so excited to go to the dentist here in Texas. I try to take good care of my teeth and I usually receive compliments from the dentist. However, this time, the dentist looked at my teeth and said, "I see some staining on the bottom teeth." WHAT??? Are you kidding? I am always the perfect dental patient and now he says I have some staining? Who does he think he is???? So I snapped and said, "You can't fault me! You have no idea how cold it is in England. Drinking tea is the only way to stay warm." Then he proceeded imply that the cold in England is no match for the heat in San Antonio. Okay. I am sorry. That is crazy. Yes it is hot in SA but it is F.R.E.E.Z.I.N.G in England. Freezing. And you can't escape the cold because most every building is old so the heating is terrible. Okay... I am done with my rant.

So they say you are to take your child in for his/her first dental visit around their first birthday. However, since we only had military dentistry in England, it was space available so I couldn't get John in. I am glad for that because I wanted his first experience to be a good one and I figured a pediatric dentist would make it a much better experience. Since San Antonio is a big city we had a large number of pediatric dentists to choose from. Today was John's appt! Dave joked with me last night and said I wouldn't be able to sleep because I would be so excited to take John to the dentist for the first time.

The dentist office was SO neat! It was a jungle theme so the walls had these wonderful, elaborate paintings. There were toys galore in the waiting room, and the staff wore jeans with t-shirts decorated with teeth-brushing cartoon characters. We were promptly called back into an exam room and I took the following pictures:


Then the mayhem ensued. As fun and as gentle as the hygentist was, John screamed bloody murder when she went to clean his teeth. She said we had two options, one was to forcibly restrain him and clean his teeth, the other was to just have the dentist look real briefly at his teeth and that would be it. Being the dentistry lover that I am, I choose to restrain him while they cleaned his teeth. Many tears and screams later, he was done and seemed none too worse for the wear. He got a balloon, a new toothbrush and we were on our way. Hopefully the next visit will be easier!

Cheers.