February 6th both girls had their first dentist appointments!

Little Bug did fabulous!! I was amazed at how well she did with this. She was actually pretty excited to go! We went during our “Dental Health” week with Learning Time, so we had been talking a lot about the dentist, doing fun teeth activities and we had read lots of books about going to the dentist so I know all that helped her be prepared for her first visit.

We went to a dentist recommended by our pediatrician and I was extremely impressed. When they took us back, they let the girls pick out a toothbrush and then they gave them each a bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss.

Little Bug hopped right up into the chair. They have headphones to be able to watch a movie which is in the ceiling and sunglasses to keep the bright light out of their eyes!

We were there about five minutes and Sweet Pea started crying. She is not a fan of things like this. Poor baby. I regretted making her an appointment and taking her in. I didn’t take Little Bug until age 3 and I should have just waited on Sweet Pea too, even though the recommended age for the first dentist visit is 18 months. I figured I’d “do things right” this time with Sweet Pea.

Fortunately, Grams came along with us for the appointment and I was so thankful for her help with both girls! She calmed Sweet Pea down but you can still see she is nervous in this picture.

Little Bug LOVED getting her teeth cleaned! She even asked if she could take that toothbrush home with her!! We had to tell her that it is a special toothbrush that only the dentist can use and she would be able to use it again when she comes back.

She was very much into actually seeing all the dental tools we had been reading about in books.

And then it was the poor baby’s turn. We kept her check up brief.

She wasn’t all tears! She did think her new toothbrush was fun!

They told me they would attempt to get X-rays of Little Bug’s teeth but if she wouldn’t cooperate at age 3, they would just wait until she is a little older. But Little Bug sat there like a big girl and took her X-rays like a champ!!

I was able to show Little Bug her baby teeth and then her adult teeth that are waiting to come through! We learned Little Bug will probably need braces around age 12 and that she has a small mouth with lots of teeth. She will most likely need a few teeth pulled once her permanent teeth start coming in. Looks like this girl is headed down the same path as her Mama as far as teeth go. You’d think we shared some DNA!

The dentist came in and said her teeth are perfectly healthy! No cavities! He took a brief look in Sweet Pea’s mouth and said the same thing.

They each got to pick a toy on our way out!

I scheduled Little Bug’s next dental appointment six months from now, but I won’t take Sweet Pea back until she is probably three. I figure by then she will have forgotten the trauma of that visit and maybe will even be eager to go like her sister was that day!!

- Elaine