AW: 1st Dentist Appointment
ELF4321
member
I know it's early, but DD already has her first four molars in and is cutting her top two canine teeth right now (which sucks even worse than the molars, BTW). Combine that with a history of cavity-prone teeth on both sides of the family, and I decided to get her checked out sooner rather than later. Thankfully, everything is fine and I was able to check out the dentist and the office staff to make sure I like them before we have any kind of emergency situation. DD had fun playing with the toys in the waiting area and was fine until the dentist put on the paper mask to examine her, then screamed the whole time during the exam (the Pooh Bear toothbrush and sticker the dentist gave her helped cheer her up at the end!). The dentist said continuing to use the finger brush is fine and actually a little easier to make sure we're brushing up around the gum line. She also noted that DDs teeth are really close together and likely to trap food particles easily, so we should start trying to get her interested in flossing by letting her watch us do our own teeth. I know it'll be awhile before DD lets us get floss anywhere near her teeth, but I guess I'll have to start flossing in front of her to get her used to the idea.
Anyway, just thought I'd post about our experience in case anyone is wondering how it goes down. The dentist said she usually doesn't try to do an actual cleaning until age 3, but it's a good idea to get them checked again at 2 yrs to make sure everything still looks ok. The dentist had me sit in a chair and hold DD on my lap, with her legs straddling my waist, then lean her on her back so her head was resting on the dentist's lap for the exam. The dentist did a quick look at her teeth and gums, poked the molars with that metal thingy to make sure there weren't any cavities forming, and that was it.
Re: AW: 1st Dentist Appointment
Our dentist said 1st check at 2 but to feel free to bring her to any of our appointments before that so she gets used to the environment.
Coincidently I went to the dentist today myself. Unfortunately, my visits always go like this
stupid sensitive gums...I hope DD gets DHs mouth genes; good teeth included.