Those Pearly Whites

Yesterday, Edward went to the dentist for the very first time since 2006 when he shoved his tooth up into his gum. Now before you judge and say shame on you for just now taking him...he was very traumatized be the whole gum in the tooth ordeal and the fact that it had to be surgically removed, that we felt it was best to wait until he was old enough to understand that going to the dentist was a good thing. There was also the fact that I do not feel that parents should be made to wait in the waiting room while their children are taken back to a room where you can't see what it happening to them or comfort them if they are scared. We also just had a news story about a dentist for children that was using harnesses to strap the children down to the chairs and doing other scary things to the children...this is a place that made the parents stay in the waiting room. Edward has already been traumatized enough by having to have his tooth surgically removed at 3yrs and 3 months that we just didn't want it to be further compounded by another scary or bad situation with the dentist.
I digress....I had taken Edward to get his hair cut yesterday afternoon (He had cut his bangs, so I needed it corrected) and remembered that I wasn't that far from a Children's Dentistry Office I had since coming home from the movies recently. I decided to go by see if they were taking new patients, if they took our dental insurance and what their policy about parents going in with the children was. Talk about fate....they said they were taking new patients, they took our dental insurance, and their policy was that they encouraged parents to go back with their children and oh! By The Way....we've had 3 cancellations for this time would you like to have him seen today?
Yes, why not....in my mind that way he wouldn't have time to fret about it. So they saw him. They cleaned his teeth, took x-rays, flossed his teeth, counted them and put a fluoride treatment on them (I know I have read all the issues about fluoride treatments....but I grew up taking them and I am fine, I feel people freak out to much about certain things). He was given an A+ report all around. NO CAVITIES!!!!! The teeth in relation of top to bottom line up is excellent. He has 3 of his 6 yr molars about to bust through (1 actually is already poking through)...the 4th one hasn't dropped down yet. We are so pleased with this report.

Edward waiting in the dentist chair!
Edward getting his teeth cleaned by the Hygienist.