Open wide!

This morning I took Abby and Hannah for their regular cleanings at the dentist. I think it was the first time in a very, very long time that we were actually early for something – we even beat the office staff there! Our appointment was at 8am, so I simply had packed everyone up like usual, drove to daycare and dropped Becca off and then took the big girls to the dentist’s office, which is about 3 minutes from daycare (versus my usual 15-minute drive to work). So we got lots of drinks from the water fountain and peeked in all of the closed and locked doors of all of the offices in the building until someone came and opened up our dentist’s office.

I like our dentist and how they handle kids. There are cute, colorful posters on the ceiling to stare at while you’re lying in the chair with your mouth wide open. They had a fun pair of star-shaped sunglasses for the girls to wear since the light is so bright in their faces. They each got to pick out a fun new toothbrush and got a sample sized tube of kids toothpaste. And they each got to pick out a prize from the prize basket. Ah yes, the glory of itsy bitsy, cheaply made toys that will either get lost by the time you get home, become a cat toy, or will have to be thrown away as a choking hazard. Abby picked out a temporary tattoo though, so I had to promise to put it on her hand later tonight when we get home. Hannah picked out a little plastic squiggly ball thing that will a) get lost by the time we get home, b) become a cat toy, or c) have to get thrown away because it’s a choking hazard.

Hannah went first – her teeth look great except for the overbite caused by her thumb sucking. We’re supposed to break this habit, according to the dentist. He was actually surprised that we weren’t already working on it. Well, she is 4 years old, so I know we probably should. But I’m hesitant to try for a couple of reasons. First, I want to deal with her potty training issues and get that completely worked out before we tackle anything else. And… Well, I sucked my thumb when I was little too. And not-so-little, although I won’t embarrass myself by saying how old I was before I quit. Let’s just leave that there, shall we... But I have a hard time taking away something that’s a security item for her, like how Abby has her blankie. Hannah only really sucks her thumb at night or if she’s really tired (or upset). And I have the feeling that peer pressure will probably keep it that way, especially now that she’s getting to school age. I know she’s going to need braces eventually anyway – that’s pretty much a given.

Abby has never sucked her thumb (or anything else for that matter). She did very well this morning too and even let them take a couple of x-rays. Her two front teeth are getting very wiggly now so it probably won’t be long before the tooth fairy will have to start learning our address. She does have a couple of cavities though. Which I’m not that surprised about considering that her idea of brushing her teeth is a couple of quick swipes mostly around the front of her mouth. We’ve been trying to get her to brush longer and better but apparently we need to try harder. I’m thinking we might have to break down and get her one of those toothbrushes that plays music or lights up or something to show her how long to brush for.

So that was our adventure for the morning, not counting the 15 minutes spent afterward while I worked out insurance issues and made additional appointments, all while attempting to corral two very energetic (and loud) little girls. I think the dentist office staff were probably glad to see us go!