first visit to the dentist

em has been looking forward to this dentist visit for weeks, ever since aaron had his appointment. i told her i needed to call and make an appointment. days after, she would ask me, "mommy, did you call the dentist to ask if he will see me?" i couldn't believe this b/c this is a girl who used to hate brushing her teeth.

people. did you know? pediatric dentists' offices are pretty cool. as soon as we were called back, em got a sticker with her name on it. instead of making the kids wait on the exam chair, they get to play in a little area right in the middle. em immediately spotted dora and was all smiles.

in no time, we were led back to one area where em was asked to sit on a rocking elephant to have her picture taken. after that, it was time to pick out a new toothbrush. more dora!

here, she is being shown all the fun equipment. this is mr. thirsty, and he drank up all the water in the little cup. em picked out chocolate toothpaste and watched cartoons while laying on her back. she was no longer having fun, but was so brave. she didn't cry and held really still. it reminded me of her first day of school :(. you could tell she was scared though b/c her relaxed hands quickly went to outstretched jazz hands. (okay, so that is a whih bit funny).

surprisingly, she let the hygienst brush and floss her teeth as well as apply a "vitamin" to her enamel. because she was such a good girl, she got to go to the prize window and pick from an assortment of toys. em picked the purple microphone.

and this is about when i had to will my tears away. she was so scared when the dr. examined her, but still never cried. all we saw were jazz hands. (you don't see them in this picture b/c she had just laid down). if that wasn't bad enough, we were told about the damage the paci had done not only to her teeth, but to her jaw. she has a cross-bite. luckily, she's young enough so we have time to wait to see if it self corrects. if not, she'll have to have it corrected next year, when she is 3 1/2. they would have to put a plate in the roof of her mouth and...well, i can't bear to think of it. i just hope that she shows vast improvement in 6 months so that we can avoid any procedures. because that would really break my heart; this is all my fault.

on a more positive note, her teeth are looking good. she has 20 cavity-free teeth and another milestone to check off!