I am a person with a lifelong dislike of the dentist. Not because my childhood dentist was ever unkind, but because my teeth have been a constant disaster since my earliest age, and I was always overwhelmed with guilt at my own apparent poor dental hygiene, despite the fact that most of my tooth problems were genetic.
All that to say, I was highly anxious about bringing Maeve to the dentist for the first time, which is why I put it off till she was almost four. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sorry I did, because although the ADA wants you to bring your kid in at age one, I don't really see the point.
However, our chosen dentist office is awesome. It's not just designed to be a fun space for kids, but the techs and the dentist are so sensitive and kind. Maeve's tech showed her every tool before she put it in her mouth, she let her touch them or feel them on her skin, she even showed her that her gloves smelled like grape. She explained why she used the gloves and mask, and she let Maeve sit up to use the rinse/suction when it freaked her out a little.
They had the most amazing x-ray machine I'd seen, simple and quick and not at all uncomfortable for Maeve, and of course Maeve was super thrilled at getting x-rays done. While we were waiting to see the dentist after her cleaning, she got to watch Tangled in the sort of interior lobby, so great for when kids have to wait during an appointment. And the dentist herself was very friendly, and told me some places on Maeve's teeth she wanted to watch, explaining that these were places that may cause trouble no matter how well we get her teeth brushed.
The tech rang a bell when the dentist told Maeve she had NO cavities, and she got to pick 2 rewards before we left. Talk about great incentives at your dentist visit! I'm so glad we found this pediatric dentist, we'll be sticking with them for sure.
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