I have learned a thing or two in my old age. First, I scheduled the boys simultaneously, thus limiting the time I had to wrangle the Littles. Second, I left the stroller and the diaper bag in the car on purpose. I knew that no amount of entertainment and/or containment would make the Littles happier or easier to deal with than just letting them sit/wander and watch their brothers. Third, I relied heavily on the happy and accommodating natures of the office staff to be patient with my entourage. Overall, it was a successful outing.
Tyler got x-rays in order to track the movement of his jack-o-lantern smile.
He had an excellent check-up! Tyler had mostly clean teeth (much better than I expected; only one trouble spot) and no cavities. It appears that he does not have a third set of molars. I was too distracted to ask if that meant he won't grow wisdom teeth. Any dental wives out there care to enlighten me?
I love this picture of Gavin standing watch over his big brother. Gavin was riveted. He was so disappointed that he didn't get a turn in the chair this time. He has his own appointment in a couple of weeks (in the morning, while the boys are at school).
Zachary also had an excellent check-up. I was especially concerned about his teeth since brushing ranks only slightly above changing his underwear on a weekly basis. Apparently I have picked the right battles; making him brush has paid off. Clean teeth and no cavities! I asked about an orthodontics consult, and the dentist agreed that we should wait a year or two. Zach has two loose teeth and three or four currently growing in. It's not time to straighten things yet! I'm glad.
Zach nearly filled the entire dental chair. I couldn't believe the way his body stretched out! He's such a big kid! People who see me with Zach always ask about the height of his father (since I'm obviously not the source of his tall genes). Zach is nearly my height and has bigger feet than I do. He's only nine! Seeing him in the chair reminded me of his first few dental check-ups. The first time he wouldn't even get in the chair. I think by the third visit he allowed the hygienist to count his teeth. We've come a long way!
The staff had lots of questions about my large family and the baby on the way. I guess we are a big group, and a family our size is a bit unusual. At least everyone was mostly well-behaved. We were only in the office half an hour, which definitely helped!
We celebrated our successes with McDonald's ice cream cones on the way home.
6 comments:
Way to go boys! I went to get my teeth cleaned and a check up yesterday too.
I can't believe the things you get done, feeling C- at best. Way to go, Heidi! Very glad for good news. It's always such a relief when there aren't any cavities!
Sadly, at 7 his wisdom teeth could just not have started growing yet. Give it a few more years and you should know for sure. My son had a similar experience with x-rays at the orthodontist. He's actually missing his 4 permanent 2nd bicuspids, go figure!
Half an hour is a record! I've yet to be at any doctor for that minimal time. I couldn't bear to dirty those lovely white pearls with ice cream, but I'm sure your kiddoes appreciated it!
I didn't have wisdom teeth show up on x-rays. My mom didn't have wisdom teeth. When my friends were getting theirs out, I had no worries. It wasn't until I was an adult that I got wisdom teeth. And by adult, I think I was thirty or so. And then I only got two of them, on top. Ironically, they fit in my mouth fine, and I didn't get them out for a while -- but since there were no teeth on the bottom to oppose them, they were going to become a problem because the dentist told me they would keep growing in the absence of opposing teeth. So Tyler may or may not have wisdom teeth. Not very definitive, right?
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