Camper's First Trip to the Dentist

Camp went for his first dental visit today! I read a lot of advice to keep a positive attitude and get your child excited about going to the dentist, so I talked it up big time yesterday and this morning. We practiced opening wide and saying, "Aaaaaah." He was so ready, and he even insisted on wearing his rain boots for the special occasion. On the way there, I had a weird wave of anxiety and got a little nauseous. I kept those feelings hidden and just took lots of pictures.

We walked in the door, and I knew we would have a great visit. There are huge castle walls, and the floor looked like water. There was so much to see that I forgot about my nerves and just tried to keep Camp excited about all the neat stuff. The staff was so welcoming, warm, and friendly. They all greeted Camp by name and asked him to go with them to play with the train table. He was friendly right back but he wanted to stay with his mommy, thank you very much. Once they got us checked in, they took us back to play with the trains and let Camp use a huge toothbrush to brush the stuffed animal's teeth. We even saw two of our buddies from playdates there. Camp was happy to pick out his new toothbrush and get his goody bag with bubble gum toothpaste and floss. He jumped right up on the chair and showed off his pearly whites. The hygienist started checking his teeth, and the little patient was very interested in her mirror and other tools. They were able to brush, floss, and apply the fluoride. I was kind of surprised at how wide he would open his mouth and how long he was letting them work on his teeth. The staff was very impressed with how well he was doing for his age and his first visit.

By the time the dentist came in though, he was signing and saying, "Done," and he was ready to go back to playing with the trains. There were a couple of shrieks and resistance, but shortly after he was distracted enough to let her do the exam. We got a great report! They were complimentary of his good habits (no paci or thumb sucking and no juice), so it was a very rewarding mom moment for me! I was definitely high-fiving myself in my mind for promoting such good healthy habits (and just having a kid who goes along with my plan sometimes). After everything was complete, Camp got two stickers and a golden coin. He got to use the golden coin to get a toy from the prize machines! He got his favorite toy: a baseball!

We have been given the okay to start using toothpaste and to move Camp's nightly brushing from after dinner to right before bed. We started tonight with the new good habits and attempted some flossing, too. I'm so glad my little alligator is off to a smiling start for good dental health!