First Trip to the Dentist

Have you ever seen Little Shop of Horrors?  You know the one where Steve Martin plays the scary and demented dentist?  (Yeah, it's about the big plant but the dentist was enough to make anyone consider being an anti-dentite.)  This is what I secretly feared was going to be Cian's view of the dentist.  Now, have you ever seen Big Top PeeWee?  Yeah, the one where PeeWee Herman joins the circus.  This was a little closer to the reality of our first dentist trip.

I prepared Cian by telling him a little about what to expect, with the cleaning and fluoride.  I did not prepare him for the fact that we would be walking into a child's wonderland.  Let me tell you, the dentist has come a long way.  We walked in and saw this:

The walls were bright and there were two flat screens with bean bags on the floor for the kids to lay on. There was an arcade for real games that you didn't have to put money in to play and a room with a car for younger kids to ride and some toys for toddlers.  There was also a HUGE fish tank and a horse to ride on as well.  I think I may have been as excited about the waiting room as Cian.  We didn't have to wait that long but we did have time to ride a couple things.

They called us and we walked back through the area for the big kids to a few rooms for younger kids who would have to have their parents with them.  The dental hygienist explained what they were going to do and let Cian pick out a toothbrush, naturally he chose one with Mater on it. She used that one to brush his teeth with some gritty toothpaste and Cian did a great job.  I think was highly influenced by the fact that there was TV in the ceiling. Yep, you read that right, TV in the ceiling.  This is a far cry for the dentist I remember as a kid, all I can picture is squinting under a really bright light-no Super Why playing on the ceiling above me.

Cian watching TV

The very energetic dentist came in after Cian had his teeth cleaned to take a look at those chompers.  This is when Cian got a little teary.  I was thinking, "Dear Lord he did see the dentist in Little Shop".  The dentist asked him if he had any sugar bugs in his teeth and Cian really got a kick out of this.  He loved the term sugar bugs.  Luckily there weren't any of those critters in there.  He put fluoride on Cian's teeth.  Do you remember the mouthpiece that was as big as a football mouthpiece with the bubble gum flavored flouride we had as kids?  The stuff they told you not to swallow lest you would meet an untimely death. (Ok, it would really just make you sick and yeah, I swallowed it once).  You also had to wait at least an hour to eat anything.  This is not the case anymore! They simply brushed it over his teeth and he was able to eat right away.  We celebrated later with chocolate chip bagels.

They did tell me that he has an underbite which means his bottom teeth come in front of his top teeth when he puts them together or smiles.  The good news is it might correct itself when his grown up teeth come in.  The bad news is that if it doesn't he will have to have braces or jaw surgery.  Way to put the mommy guilt on me, if I don't pay for braces he might have to have surgery.  I better start saving now...

Isla was in on all the fun too.  I could tell by the way she slept that whole time that she was very disappointed that she couldn't ride the horse.

Cian will be back in six months for another fun trip. I will be looking forward to the carnival again!