Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Kapri's 1st Dentist Visit

Kapri did amazingly well today at her very first dentist appointment! We took her to a place recommended to us by multiple friends - yay for referrals - called Discovery Children's Dentistry. Love this place. Total kid-friendly environment, lots of toys and friendly staff.

so excited to be at the dentist!

We had very little wait time, the appointment itself was quick & painless (yay!) and K did surprisingly well!! They have TV's up in the ceiling to look at while reclined, with little headphones so they can *try* to zone out to cartoons, while having their teeth looked at & cleaned. They also have sunglasses so the bright light won't bother them...but she wanted nothing to do with those!

I was worried she would kinda freak over the electric tooth polisher device, but she actually giggled because it tickled a bit. She sat patiently through the whole thing. I think she was also comforted by being told what each item was they needed to use & why.... she especially loved the water/suction tools!!



We're happy to report...NO cavities...yippee! However, we did discover that she is completely missing one full tooth!! It's her left (or right if looking at her teeth) "lateral incisor" - so there's a bit extra room/gaps for her top front teeth. Not a huge deal, hopefully once her baby teeth fall out, the adult 'incisor' will actually come in. It appears to be hereditary, as James was missing his as a toddler too...but now has a mini or 'peg' incisor on his left side as well. Too funny!
The dentist also noticed that there was or had been some pacifier use {cringe} - we told him that she only uses it for naps/overnight, but we're in the process of getting rid of it. I've been telling her for months that we'll have to send her paci to a baby who really needs it, by tying it to a balloon & sending it off into the sky. I also told her last night before bed that the dentist would probably tell her "no more paci" - and he did...mamma's know best!! So tonight we'll head to Party City so she can pick out her perfect balloon (or 2) and have a paci send off party in our yard! She knows how much I dislike that thing. I've been meaning to do this since mid-November...when I first mentioned it in THIS post in August. Geeeez we lag.

Anyway...she was super excited to get a goodie bag at the end for doing so well - she got to choose her own new toothbrush & toothpaste (Dora), sticker (Princess Tiana) and temp. tattoo (Sponge Bob) - then with the special coin she got, she was able to choose from a bunch of little toy dispensers...she got a bouncy ball.

I'm a fan of this place and more importantly, so is Kapri...we'll be going back for as long as they are under my insurance umbrella!

9 comments:

  1. Good for you guys! How did you prepare Kapri for her first trip? Success at the dentist's office is uncertain when it comes to a child's first visit. It all comes down to the willingness of the kid and proper encouragement from the parent.

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    1. Thanks Diana! Well, we prepped her about a month or so in advance. Telling her every so often that we'd be going to a nice dentist at a fun dentist office (lots of toys!), who was going to look at all her pretty teeth to make sure they were all growing okay. She was definitely nervous when I first laid her down on the chair - which is why I sat beside her pretty much the whole time & held her hand ;-)

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  2. Just clicked here from the OMG Mom blog. I have a daughter who is also 2 and have been wondering when I should take her to the dentist. Sounds like your daughter did really well :)

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    1. Hi Sarah, thanks for comment - yeah, I think it's recommended between 2.5 - 3 years old for their first checkup. Each kid is different, so definitely warm them up to the idea of it ;-)

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  3. Dentist today because I really needed to go check why my teeth have been aching so bad. Well, he told me what I somehow always knew. I'm biting my teeth so hard (especially when stressed!) that I wear them down.

    Costa Mesa dentist

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  4. It's great that there are now new techniques and facilities to help patients feel at ease during any dental procedure.

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  5. Looks like Kapri enjoyed her first dental visit! She looked very at ease and comfortable during the procedure. Did you brief her on what’s going to happen? Well, it looks like you did. And it also helped that the clinic had some recreational activity to keep her distracted and relaxed.

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    1. Hi Ted - yes, we explained to her what the dentist would do...but she still gets a little weary at her appts...heck, I still do as a grown adult! haha

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  6. Very cute and brave girl, Handling child on dental chair is not easy but girl like Kapri is a role model for every child who feel fear on dental visit.

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