SuperPuff goes to the dentist

October 29, 2009 at 1:24 pm (status report, the continuing adventures of Superpuff)

“I wonder if I can grow fangs when my baby teeth fall out.”

– Calvin
(Calvin & Hobbes, as written by Bill Watterson)

Puff gives her most winning non-toothy smile to her new dentist

Wednesday marked a momentous occasion in little Puff’s life. Yet another one of the many milestones (and baby book pages) to leave behind on her way to becoming a full-fledged CHILD. Her first trip to the dentist.

Getting to know Dr. Al

Puff, of course, was thrilled at the prospect of a new experience. I made sure that she would be. We watched the Elmo’s World segment about teeth several thousand times (thank goodness it was On Demand this month!), which included a short about a kid and his first trip to the dentist. I explained every bit of what she had to expect in great detail. . .over and over. I told Puff about the super buzzy tooth-brush, and the spit sucker, and the X-ray machine. . . I even told her that dentists wear masks, just so it wouldn’t be scary for her when the time came. Puff was excited.

Puff is amazed to find toys and posters hung from the ceiling

I, however, was not. I mean, c’mon! It’s the DENTIST! I HATE going to the dentist! Everyone I know hates going to the dentist! If I ever met someone who liked going, I’d figure them for a zombie and run away double-quick. Obviously, I couldn’t let my daughter see my own dentistry paranoia, but. . . the worry was there. What if she had a miserable time? What if she had a cavity? (She’d better not after all the time invested in brushing those darn things)What if it turned into a nightmare after I had gotten her so excited to go? Not only would she be sad, which would be distressing to me, but she’d never trust another word I say. (I could see it; Me: T! We’re going to the amusement park! T: Oh? Are they going to stab my gums with NEEDLES? AND DRILL!?) Lets face it – the potential for disaster is so high at the dentist. . . how can a mom help but to be a bit nervous? I even let her bring lambie along just in case a little bit of extra love was needed. (Lambie is usually confined to the crib. This was a very special exception)

Puff shares the discovery with her new-found friend

Of course, I didn’t need to worry. Puff rocks. I know this. She’s the best kid EVER, and she deserves, like, a million awesomeness points. The only moment of two that she had was when we were called back from the waiting room. T was having so much fun playing with the toys and the other kids in the lobby that she had lost all interest in actually seeing the dentist. After we made it back into the office she was calm again, and Dr. Al was GREAT . He introduced himself to her and befriended her before anything else. He also explained everything he was doing step-by-step, in a way that she could understand. Puffy loved him. (He won me over when he asked if I wanted to take any first time at the dentist pictures before the exam started. My camera had been hidden away until that point – I was waiting for him to leave the room so I could sneak in a pic for the baby book. Apparently its pretty common for insane mothers to want to photo-document their tots first dentist trip. Who knew?)

Doc Al and Puff ponder the wonders of ceiling art together

Puff sat on my lap and behaved perfectly through her cleaning. I could tell that she didn’t really enjoy it, but she didn’t whine or squirm, and Dr. Al was as gentle as he could be. She even sat still and followed instructions well enough for the technician to get x-rays of her teeth – while I watched nervously from the doorway. Everyone in the office was impressed by her goodness and amazing command of the English language. It’s always nice to hear strangers gushing about your kid! Her teeth look great, though there is one teensy shadowy spot on one tooth. Doc thinks it’s just some discoloration that grew in with the tooth, and is nothing to worry about. But just in case, we’ll be keeping a close eye on it and will brush it extra-especially well. We don’t want any cavities on those tiny pearls!

Puff poses with her lambie and gives us her sassiest smile

And of course, after all was said and done, Puff was permitted to pick a bit of plastic junk and a sticker out of the prize drawer! AND they gave her a Happy Halloween sticker and a hoppy spider to add to her ever-growing collection of hoppy spiders.  She ALSO got a brand-new toothbrush! It’s a WHALE toothbrush, which is awesome, because it goes along with her most favorite and amazing whale-shaped bath soap. Subtleties like this make Puff’s day. She’s sold. Totally. She asked me this morning if we could go to the dentist today. She must be a zombie. And I can’t run away. . . at least she’s a cute one!

some of the spoils of the day. . .

P.S. The dentist’s office weighed Super Puff in at 30 pounds! Do you BELIEVE that my tiny 10th percentile baby has become a strapping 30-pound toddler?! Astounding. . .