First Dentist Visit

Another first for Liam and Finn- a trip to the dentist! At their 18 month check-up, our pediatrician encouraged us to set up an appointment for the kids to see a dentist. I think it was smart to go with a pediatric dentist instead of a general dentist. I'm sure it would've been fine either way, but the minute we walked into the door, the kids were enthralled with the big tree and playhouse built into the office and the staff seemed very prepared for our little guys. To help the boys feel more comfortable, the assistants encouraged them to sit in the big chair and she took them for a "ride" as she raised the chair up and down. I think it made them feel more at ease to have some fun in a space that was big, new, and a little scary.

The dentist was awesome and gave us good tips for oral care when it comes to toddlers. He was very comfortable interacting with the kids and knew the best way to check their teeth without creating too much trauma.

Some ideas of questions to ask 
at your child's first dental check-up:

-What toothpaste is okay to use? How much at each brushing?

-How many times should we floss our child's teeth during the week? (I know this sounds stupid, but I didn't realize we should be flossing their teeth at all yet.)

-What are some habits that could affect our child's dental care? (i.e. Milk or juice in a sippy cup at night, binky, sucking fingers, etc. Our kids don't have anything to drink with them at night, but they do still use a binky.)

-What is the best way to brush my toddler's teeth? (I needed help with this, because I can't seem to get a great brushing with my squirmy little boys.)

-What are the benefits of flouride?

More proof that our boys are just like normal siblings and NOT identical: Finn has great enamel and healthy looking teeth, but Liam has some softness and gingivitis, with some concern and watch for cavities. Since they pretty much have identical diets and we practice identical habits for both, it was chalked up to mostly bad genes. :(

All around, our first dentist visit with the boys was a SUCCESS. We'll keep watching Liam's teeth and if things don't get better, we'll be back in 3 months for more options. Yay for healthy teeth!

*Thanks to Children's Crossing Pediatric Dentistry!