The dent-tist

We had our inaugural dental examination yesterday. Granted, I have put this off for a while, but I am convinced that if we had attempted seeing the dentist sooner there would have been inconsolable crying, biting and who knows what sort of involuntary physical reactions.

After dreading "dentist day" for months, if not years, we went yesterday, and it was... fine. The waiting room delay and the accompanying restroom trips (more on that in a later post) actually caused more stress than the examination itself. The latter was a breeze due to prayer and an experienced hygienist.

The waiting room, as I said, was a challenge. There had to be a hundred different magazines scattered throughout, and those types of periodicals do not usually fare well with us. I was distracted while completing some surprisingly voluminous paperwork (in duplicate). That opportunity was seized, and the wait area was ransacked. In between efforts to curtail negative behavior and redirect to positive ways to pass the time, we had a couple of bathroom trips. Since it took so long to complete the paperwork (imagine filling out forms while being attacked by monkeys), a couple of people arrived, and we found ourselves at the end of the 10am rotation. Therefore, we had an additional 30 minute wait in the waiting room --- with all the magazines. At one point, I even tried purchasing/downloading some Sesame Street episodes to my iPhone, but lacked the ability to do it (no WIFI). The wait was long and peppered with requests to "go home".

We were finally called back, and Lauren bravely hopped to her feet and marched into the room. Gracie had the good sense to be alarmed. Lauren volunteered to "go first," and Gracie settled into a chair to wait. When asked to climb into the exam chair, however, Lauren reneged and said, "No, Gracie, YOU go first!"

Lauren settled into the chair, and from there it was a breeze. I cannot believe it was so simple and uneventful, and it seems absurd that I have been dreading it. As I said, the hygienist was quite good. First, she wore a pink mask and had a pink watch. Score! Naturally, the girls thought she was their kind of people. Second, a lot of the gear itself was pink. Third, the hygienist let the girls carefully examine all of the instruments prior to the exam.

Lauren was first up. Wearing the blue bib:




Using the suction:



Examining the mirror:



Enjoying a good cleaning:



Gracie's turn! Wearing the bib:




Examining the mirror:



Using the suction (their favorite part):



Whew! That was a breeze! Why did mommy pack a flask in her purse?



The girls received great reports. Overall, it was a great first visit.