Update: First Cleaning Tomorrow

kac0807

T has her first teeth cleaning tomorrow and I'm super nervous about it. What can I expect? How bad is it for LO??

Update: So T did great during the clearning. We stayed in the consult room for the appointment and then I guess her next one she'll go in the back to a "real" room. They had me hold her (facing me) and then had her lay back in their lap, just as some of you said. Only bad part of the checkup was that they took an x-ray and it's looking like that tooth (top front right) might be down/in as far as it's going to be and is probably from her paci. DH and I are really upset about it and mad at ourselves for not taking the paci away from her when she was younger. We don't want her to be picked on. Needless to say we are now in hardcore operation get rid of paci! She was already down to nap and bedtime for a few months now, but now we need to pull the plug completely! So upset about it!

Here are a couple of  pics...this is her doing her silly smile, but lets you see her teeth!

TinyPinkBug

We go to a pediatic dentist, she does the kids' exam and cleaning in her lap.  I sit in the chair with one of the kids on my lap, holding their hands.  Then they lean back into her lap and she can look right down and do the kids' cleanings.  I don't know if all pedi dentists do that, but ours does.  Brianna is one of the best kids she says she sees, Tyler one of the worst.

emiliemetcalf

Tessie has been terrified of the dentist for a few months now (for no reason we can identify!) so last week DH brought her to the dentist while I had my cleaning.  She sat on my lap facing my mouth so she could see every instrument and exactly what the hygienist was doing.  (I think it helps that our hygienist is a mom to young kids, but she explained everything really well and was very patient.)

After my cleaning T agreed to sit on the chair by herself and have her teeth counted (19 and 1 on the way!).  They didn't do a cleaning, but I was super surprised that she would even open her mouth let alone let them stick instruments in there.

And of course getting a prize and a new toothbrush made the whole experience worth it for her  

jnk062602

I had picked up the Bernstein bears going to the dentist book and we reAd it for a couple weeks before going. It doesn't necessarily apply bc sister bear loses her first tooth and brother gets a cavity. But it made Ellie super excited about going to the dentist.

I sat in the tiny chair and she sat on my lap. First they just showed her the instruments and they had her open her mouth. They looked around in there with the mirror and also used a tiny brush to apply fluoride. The dentist came in with the mask and everything on already and didn't say much to Ellie, which was scary for her, and I thought a bit odd since she was a ped dentist. But overall she did really well and talked about how much fun she had for weeks afterwards. 

ArcticFox

My DD did pretty well.  She was definitely nervous.

One of the things that made it "better" was letting her get a cool new pair of sunglasses (since the light is bright that they shine on them), and we also talked a lot about the cool flavors of toothpaste the dentist has.

wendyj

For his first time, the hygienist showed him all the instruments, let him sit in the chair, etc. to get him used to being there. The she asked if she could count his teeth. He let her do that and even let her clean them and put the fluoride on. Funny, since when the dentist came in and tried to look, his locked his mouth shut and refused to open it for him.

Every dentist is different in their approach, I think, but from what I've learned from other moms, they all try to get DC's used to being there and comfortable before they even try to look in their mouths. Good luck!