So this was Rey Rey’s first official visit to the dentist. Of course she was very nervous and scared, but that changed as I reminded her everything would be ok and mommy would be right by her. PLUS, daddy was getting his teeth cleaned too! So that eased her fears.
I was SOOOOOOOO surprised by how calm she was as she went through the complete appointment. I was reminded by a couple years ago, when she chipped her front tooth, and we had to visit the dentist to make sure she did not damage her tooth, roots or gums. Thankfully she did not, but that visit was a DIASTER! The dentist had to shape her tooth so that it was smooth around the edges.
The Important Part of this visit
As I have always told my clients, when you visit a physician, or have an appointment with anyone who has some part in your health and wellness, be sure to UNDERSTAND what they are saying, ask questions and get answers! If your doctor is willing to be patient and invest that time in making sure you understand and feel confident, then you have a good doctor.
This was true for Rey’s Dentist, once he completed his assessment of her teeth and mouth, then doing a cleaning, he turned to me and explained his overall assessment in what he did and saw when assessing Rey’s teeth. Everything looked great. As a matter of fact, she had 4 adult teeth (molars) which usually are found at the age of 6. So Rey had 4 more teeth than the average 4 year old.
THEN, he went into the importance, especially for children still growing, of the steps that should be taken to keep teeth healthy and why. As far as nutrition was concerned, just like adults, when food is consumed, some food can get in parts of the tooth that can’t be reached by a toothbrush, which then can cause plaque if ignored. Knowing kids are going to be kids He expressed, teaching the kids the habit of routinely brushing their teeth but also flossing was very important. If not, a child with not so good habits could have a harder time keeping a healthy mouth and cost A LOT of money down the road.
Overall, make sure, us as a parents, be the speaker for our kids when we take them to appointments like this, because they sure cant ask the questions themselves (or know what to ask). We are the advocates to their health until they are grown to do so themselves. ITS SO IMPORTANT!