I'm Back, Doc Dentist!

Our dentist have a lot of books for the kids to read while waiting for their turn.
Maia was excited flipping through pages of Aladdin here.

Well Maia can now say the word dentist clearly. And we don't know how she ended up knowing we're really going to the dentist. I was a bit shocked when I asked her where we're going and she replied, "di ba Mommy kay doc dentist?" I was still expecting her to push the bookstore trip (we were supposed to go to MV Logos today, that floating bookstore, that is currently docked at Pier 15 in the Port Area in Manila) but we had to change plans last minute. We promised to take her to the bookstore Sunday though so this weekend will mostly be spent outside of the house. 

Digressing again.

Back at the dentist today we could tell how the little girl has grown since our last visit by the way she handled her time in the chair. Her attention span has now extended and having learned (almost perfected) the art of gargling recently she took the time to finish the entire glass of water. I think she just really wants to impress doc dentist. What I like about our doc dentist is her patience with kids and how she really takes her time to make sure Maia's teeth is thoroughly cleaned. I know because I watched her do it for almost 45mins. In between, she would stop to share tips on how to better care for the tot's milk teeth. I guess that's what sets pediatric dentists apart from regular dentists. We're proud to say that aside from some calcified plaque that took quite sometime for the doc to clean, Maia's oral health is still in perfect condition. And despite her losing the veneer from our last visit, doc didn't push to have it re-done anymore since the tooth seemed fine already and she said the last 2 we did somehow covered the 'cracks' in the tooth so with the fluoride treatment and the regular tooth cleaning that tooth is already saved from further deterioration.

Some things I learned from this recent visit --

1. Our 2nd and 3rd molars (grown around 6-7 and 11-12 years respectively) are very dependent on the placement/position of our milk teeth. When the milk teeth is not properly cared for, there's a big probability that those molars are going to come out in the wrong places (i.e. hello braces).

2. Genetics is still a factor when it comes to how our teeth are set in our jaw. Tibs and I have really crooked teeth so doc dentist was saying, Maia might need braces when she's older. But then again, it's not purely due to genetics too she says. Our diet is also a big contributing factor. So we should watch that too (especially when it came to eating food where we have to do a lot of hard biting action)

3. For toddlers/preschoolers like Maia, oral prophylaxis is very important since no matter how we make sure to brush at least 2x a day they're still very much prone to childhood gingivitis (mostly due to exposure to adults who have it) and usually that's where the problem starts. So the earlier you address that problem, the better.

Good thing I got to read this post from Manilamommy before our dental trip today because it helped me tremendously in how I conditioned Maia for this trip. I used to scare her with dentist trips or doctor trips each time I am having difficulty imposing my authority especially during brush time or meal time. But because of this post, I am now making her think doctors and dentists are our friends (which is really true). There was no sign of fear on Maia when we arrived at the dentist clinic this afternoon. She waited patiently and entertained herself with the books at the waiting area. When she heard her name being called, she was alert and didn't hesitate to open the door to the clinic and climbed the chair on her own. All I did was take a video of her and show her how wide her mouth should be opened but other than that I was useless in there. 

I was already (i think ha) in high school when I first visited a dentist and they always scared the hell out of me. So when I had a kid, I made pretty damn sure she is comfortable with dental visits. I think I can finally pat myself in the back here for a job well done.