I hate to admit that my Brownies are 3 and 4 years old and I haven't taken them to the dentist. At least, not until today. There is no good reason that we haven't gone before now, except it slipped my mind. We make all of our yearly wellness visits to our pediatrician. We have all the vaccinations that I'm comfortable they receive. We brush our teeth (nearly every day). A few weeks ago, a local pediatric dentist visited the boys at their preschool. They came home ULTRA excited. They explained what would happen at the dentist and showed off their new toothbrush and toothpaste. So, I jumped on the phone and ceased the enthusiasm to make their appointment.
Today, we showed up and this dental office definitely caters to the smaller human beings. A Volkswagen bus was in the waiting room and the boys started jumping up and down. I got them checked in and we were called back for our cleaning. The boys did better than I could have ever imagined. They sat in the chairs, with their mouths opened wide and watched Cars 2 on the overhead televisions. They giggled and followed direction without any reservations.
Next, they went for x-rays. Sitting in the chair with their protective apron, I felt emotion welling up inside me. They are getting so big. They can follow directions well and they are very polite. I could not have asked for a better appointment. Well, until the dentist comes out and takes a look. My Brownies are not cleaning their teeth as well as they should be. I admit in the haste of our schedule sometimes, I don't always do a follow-up check on their brushing. Add to that the fact that we use a non-flouride toothpaste and we chew our Juice Plus gummies every morning after brushing is a recipe for disaster. The dentist recommended we silver cap one of Big Brownies teeth. I started to cry. There are no real visible surface cavities, but this is between the teeth on the side. I explained that our course of action would be of a different reaction. If I am more diligent about checking their brushing, adding flouride toothpaste and a flouride mouthwash, I am hoping to have an improved result on their next visit.
So, the protocol of our morning will change. Rather than brushing our teeth first thing when we rise, we will eat breakfast, chew our gummies and then brush, rinse and floss. At night, we will try to make the rounds again with eating first and then dental maintenance. I pray the cavity on Big Brownies tooth will heal. I have faith that with our new course of action, we can improve his babies teeth to a healthier state. We have a good 4 or 5 more years with these teeth before new ones emerge and pray these new habits will make a difference. But as for the actual visit, the boys had a blast. As we left the dentist's office, Big Brownie says, "So Mom, I gather I have a cootie on my tooth?" I explained that was indeed true. The boys were ecstatic to pick out new toothbrushes, cool Sponge Bob mouth wash and colorful floss for our new regiment. I'm thankful that it wasn't worse and I'm thankful that we went ahead now before it wasn't an option to try and heal. So, in 6 months, we will take a look again and see our progress...hopefully wonderful progress!
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