Busyness and the Dentist

I've been missing in action for a week now. My absence started because I was gone for four days and the last three were just life getting in the way.

Yesterday felt like a never-ending list of tasks. I had an appointment with the endocrinologist followed by a trip to the grocery store on the way home. Then we had 45 minutes to prepare and eat lunch before leaving again for the dentist. We came home and had an hour and a half to finish up school for the day (the kids started very early...for us) before Sam needed to leave again for taekwondo. Josh fell asleep on me, preventing me from getting dinner together. After Scott came home, I ended up going back to the grocery store for some easy-to-prepare food. Then I came home, cooked, we ate, and then we settled back to watch Lie to Me. I also got some reading of my own in there somewhere. It was one of those days where it seems like "nothing got done" simply because you didn't have a moment to do the day-to-day stuff.

The dentist visit went well, though.

Sam went first. He's not scared of the dentist in the least. They cleaned his teeth, gave him a fluoride treatment, and the dentist took a quick look-see. It was determined that the small cavities he has on his baby molars have not grown in the past year so they are still on a "watch". If he continues to brush them well, they'll stay small and not require fillings. The goal is for the cavities to stay small until the teeth fall out on their own. I love how noninvasive our pediatric dentist is; if he can avoid any work on the kids, he will. He certainly isn't looking for ways to pad the bill! We discussed Sam's new tooth that came in way behind the rest. It came in that way because there wasn't enough room for it to come in where it was suppose to. Mika has the same problem only her tooth never came up because it was busy trying to force a path through the tooth next to it. It was recommended that we pull the tooth next to it to make room for it so it can move forward. Having been through this with Mika, I knew pulling a baby tooth wasn't a big deal (if Mika can handle it, anyone can). He said the teeth would shift to the left a little but that was a better alternative than doing nothing. He also said we could put sealants on his adult molars. So, that was scheduled. It also looks pretty clear that Sam will also need braces when he is older.

Mika survived the ordeal with a different hygienist in one of the other chairs; she's super sensitive (fearful) so the dentist is always a tear-inducing ordeal no matter how gentle they are. All she needed was a short (5-10 minute) cleaning, a fluoride treatment, and a quick look by the dentist. She had no cavities and no need for any other work. We talked again about the fact she'll probably need braces due to lack of space for her adult teeth and an overbite.

Josh shocked us all for his first trip to the dentist. After Sam was done, he hopped into the chair without a problem. He was a little concerned when the chair rose and laid back. I just told him it was ok and to lay down. He put on his "eyes" (sunglasses to protect his eyes from the light), held the spit-section thingy, and opened his mouth. He let them clean all of his teeth, then they painted on the fluoride. He was first for the dentist check and declared perfect; he had no cavities and nice, clean teeth. I was both surprised by how well he did for being barely 2 but not surprised because he's Josh and isn't fazed by much.

The hygienist and dentist both thing I'm doing really good at keeping my children's teeth clean. If only they knew...