A Visit With the Dentist

I've been remiss with my children's dental care. A year passed between the last appointment and yesterdays. Despite that, I was relieved to find out that neither of them (my youngest doesn't see the dentist yet) have any significant problems.

Mika had no cavities which is surprising because her teeth attract plaque like it was a valuable commodity. We discussed a loose tooth that has been loose for over a year. The dentist is not worried about it as it is prematurely loose and not causing a problems with permanent teeth. We also discussed the issue with the lack of space on her lower jaw. A couple of years ago, we had to pull a tooth to make room for a permanent tooth that couldn't come up for lack of space. It had actually gouged through the root of the tooth blocking it. Now the permanent tooth below that pulled one is finally heading up but there is no space for it. At the next check up, he'll probably need to pull the next tooth to make room for it. This was expected but my daughter is still not happy with it. In a few years, she'll need braces to deal with the overcrowding issue. They also wanted her back in for sealants on her permanent molars.

Sammy was in pretty good shape too. His teeth and gums were in pretty good condition with very little plaque. The dentist told us his top two teeth are loose. We hadn't noticed yet but I just checked them and they are, indeed, loose. He also noticed a chip in one of his molars and made note to keep a watch on it. If it chips more, he'll need to cap it. Finally, he noticed that Sammy has the very beginnings of a small cavity. It doesn't need to be filled at this point so we'll just be watching it in the future.

I know I can trust this dentist because he's not the type to recommend treatment unless it is essential. He cares about the feelings of the patient and considers their age and comfort level in his treatment recommendations.

Now, if only I could find an adult dentist who is so good.