Addie's First Trip to the Dentist

I took Addie for her first visit to the dentist yesterday. It could have gone worse, but it sure could have gone better. See, Addie likes to know what she's getting into before she gets into it, so new experiences like this are a challenge for her. I tried to talk through every aspect of the dentist with her before we got there, but when a few things came up she didn't expect, we had some tears. OK, a lot of tears.

It began with getting X-rays, which made her gag a little. Then the tears started. The hygenist, who was the BEST EVER, quickly stopped the x-rays and moved us on the the cleaning. Addie climbed up into the chair, while I tried to make everything fun and interesting ("oh look! The dentist chair looks like a banana!" "Hey wow, pictures of teeth on the wall!" "Let's take a picture of your first visit to the dentist!").
This is Addie's enthusiasm for the picture as we got started.

As soon as the chair tilted back, the tears begun again. Then, "I want to go home." Oh no, I thought, how do I snap her out of this so we can get this finished? Distractions? Extra affection and encouragement? Threats? Well, we got through it with a little of everything. Here's another shot of her being thrilled. We managed to get her teeth polished and got a floride treatment.
Then the dentist checked her teeth and pronounced them good. See how much fun she is having?

I felt a little silly taking pictures, but now I am glad I did! I want to remember this- and make her remember it- when she is older! Once we were walking out the door, her demeanor changed completely and she was a happy little ray of sunshine. Mommy, on the other hand, was still a bit frazzled.

Overall, we got a clean dental bill of health, Addie came out in one piece, and last night at bed time prayers, cheerfully thanked God for the banana dentist chair and all 20 of her teeth.