Young Whatsit Jr. survived his first dentist appointment!

Not much to report, I suppose, except that it was a totally cool experience and I’m glad we did it. Whatsit Jr. is two and a half, and we decided it was high time he should see a dentist. As luck would have it, there’s a “pediatric dentist” here in town, so that’s where we went. The guy was totally friendly, got Whatsit Jr. to open wide so he could count his teeth, and didn’t do a polishing, because he says that for kids Whatsit Jr.'s age, it’s more traumatic than helpful, and at this age he just likes to do risk assessment, show them how to brush, and talk to the parents about daily oral hygiene.

Mostly he just told us to brush daily, especially before bed, limit Whatsit Jr.'s intake of sugary beverages such as fruit juices (we do anyway), and brush BabyWhatsit’s gums with a soft cloth once daily until her teeth come in. All in all, a great experience, and Whatsit Jr. got to have his picture added to the wall of cavity-free smiles.

He totally dug it. I am actually looking forward to his next visit in six months… and if he could imagine a time that far in the future, I bet he would be too.

Excellent! Building trust/ comfort level with dentistry at an early age is just as important as good oral hygiene. There are far too many people out there who are terrified of dentists. I think it’s because they either got hold of a rough or insensitive person, or only went when they were in pain. Myself, I love visits to my dentist. I’ve seen him every six months since I was 5, and he’s way cool. Plus, he’s generous with the nitrous. :smiley:

Well, better luck next time.

:smiley:

It’s good that your child likes the dentist. My childhood dentist was pretty cool too.

Unfortunately, as I grew older I stopped listening to his advice. Which was why I had to have a root canal last week.

If a dentist could make a two year old understand all the joys incurred in a root canal, you’d never have to worry about that kid forgetting to brush his teeth again.

Our daughter (4) had a cavity in a molar. She brushes, but isn’t great - and being a tooth she’ll have for several years yet, it needed to be filled.

I dreaded it. I tried not to show it, but I was terrified. They had me sit in the lobby (they said it works better). They were going to do Novacaine plus the drill and fill.

She had it filled, I heard no screaming. When I heard it was done, I went in before she got out of the chair. She got out, jumped up and down and said “that was fun, lets do it again!”

Apparently, she didn’t like the Novacaine. But once that was over she did great.

Good for you …taking your little one. My daughter, now 10, first went at age 3. She loves going to the dentist. :smiley: She says because “they put delicious flavored things in her mouth” (I think it’s the fluoride rinses they use.)

I had a great dentist as a kid. And then, when I grew up, I started going to my parents’ dentist. He was a jerk. The last time I had a cavity filled, something didn’t go right – I could feel the whole thing, every spin of that damn drill – I still have nightmares about it. I was screaming in pain, and that jerk kept telling me that I was being stupid and “there’s no way that you’re feeling that.” What a scumbag.

I didn’t go to the dentist again for four years, and only went back because I had a tooth rot away to the point that I needed a root canal. Which I demanded general anesthesia for. The root canal/crown process wasn’t too bad. And I’ve been getting my teeth cleaned regularly again. But I have a couple of small cavities…

And I can’t get them filled. I set appointments, and then the nightmares of Dr. You’re-Not-Feeling-That start up again. I’ve cancelled three times. I’m absolutely terrified of getting a cavity filled. It was the worst pain of my entire life.

I hope all the OP’s kid’s visits to the dentist go as well as this one.