First things first: MOST pediatricians will tell you that the appropriate time to send your kiddos to the dentist is the ripe age of three when teeth are in and dental hygiene can be mastered.
Dentists disagree....they recommend the tender age of 18 months for the first visit, which may seem really young, because it is.
Now, I would have happily waited until he turned two (at least), but he had that little fall a few weeks back that resulted in a small chip to his tooth. So, feeling confident with Dr. Andy's magic and wanting to make sure all was well in his mouth, I brought him in.
What I Learned:
1) The smartest thing I ever did was take him to O's first appointment. This made Dr. Andy and his office familiar, as well as the whole exam.
2) The chair was treated like a "ride", which he decided he'd like to get off once it was completely reclined.
3) No worries; Dr. Andy just sat him on my lap facing me, and leaned him back onto his own lap while I held his hands and reassured him.
4) There was some protesting, but Dr. Andy never stopped calmly talking to him while he worked (he even sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" when it was time to floss) and so, Joseph's complaints were mild and sporadic.
5) Letting the surprisingly positive results of the cleaning go to our heads, we decided to do an x-ray of the chipped tooth to ensure there was no nerve damage.
6) And that was a mistake.
BUT, in conclusion, he did great compared to what I expected.
And both children will return in November for a duet with the most amazing Dr. Andy.
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