Our First Trip to the Dentist
By Catherine Eames, Triplet Mom
Originally printed in September 2003

Just before our kids turned three, I called our family dentist and made appointments for 
their first visit for a cleaning.  After I made the appointment, I began talking to the kids 
about teeth in general and the doctor that takes care of teeth – the dentist.  We got some 
teeth books from the library and bought some more at Barnes and Noble.  From our 
books, we had pictures of the inside of a dentist office and the kinds of tools that would 
be used to count and clean teeth.  We told our kids about the games and fun toys in the 
waiting area at our dentist's office.  Our kids even received fancy-schmancy battery 
operated toothbrushes and wild flossers for birthday presents.  We thought we had done 
enough preparation for the big day.  We were WRONG!!  Although the day was not a 
total loss, it sent my husband and me down a path of pediatric dentistry.

Our appointment was scheduled for 2:00pm, after lunch and the regular cat-nap our kids 
still take.  The air conditioning in the dentist's office was not working that day, a big 
problem for the tension level in that office.  Secondly, our dentist's office is in an old 
house and has small rooms, so air circulation may well be a problem generally, but it was 
exaggerated that day.  When we were called, no one would sit in the dentist chair alone 
so Mom got in the chair and eventually Maggie got in my lap.  She opened her mouth, let 
the hygienist count her teeth and that was it.  She wouldn't open her mouth for the dentist 
nor for the hygienist again for a cleaning.  That was more than we got out of Betsy, 
though.  Betsy would not get in my lap, preferring to play hide and seek in all of the 
building's nooks and crannies.  Jack decided that he, too, would be in my lap for a teeth 
counting, but said, "I just want to have what Maggie had."  The dentist was patient and 
recommended we not force them for the count or the cleaning.  He said we should try to 
make another appointment when one of us would be coming into the dentist for a regular 
cleaning.

We went 0 for 3 in teeth cleaning that day.  In retrospect, what would we have done 
differently?  Not much... except look into the specialty of pediatric dentistry and, despite 
the claims made by many dentists, we would have insisted that the first visit occur well 
before the kids were three years old.  Pediatric dentists make it fun, not scary and a place 
the kids want to return.  They are set up for pre-schoolers and early school-age children.  
The three pediatric dentists I visited in the Andover area also made it comfortable for the 
parents/caregivers that bring the kids to the dentist.  And, they frequently schedule open 
houses so that the parents and the kids get to check the place out in advance of the real 
appointment.

The pediatric dentists all recommended the things my husband and I did in advance of the 
appointment.  Get teeth books from the library.  Let your kids brush your teeth for a 
change and show them your oral hygiene routine - floss, a swish of Listerine or Plax, and 
a good brushing with the appropriate toothbrush.  Www.MyPediatricDentist.com has lots 
of good info.  The site is written by three pediatric dentists from Lubbock, Texas and has 
an introduction to pediatric dentistry, timely articles and book recommendations for 
children.

It may be just my kids or the fact that the lack of air conditioning took all of the "good 
karma" out of our dentist's office that day.  For our family, the next stop will be a 
pediatric dentist.  But that part of the story will have to wait... our appointment is not 
until mid-September.