Poppy tripped and fell teeth-first into a wooden coffee table on Easter weekend. It was pretty terrible. Tears, blood, swelling, but thankfully her teeth remained intact (ish) (baby gal already had some chips from a couple bathtub incidents). We were lucky and the table absorbed a lot of the impact.
We saw a doctor and her regular dentist after it happened, and both recommended that we see a pediatric dental specialist to rule out any damage above the gum line. I was skeptical. Poppy’s seen her dentist since before she turned one (my babies got their first teeth early) but she has yet to have an actual exam. We go and talk to the dentist, we sit in the chair, we hold some of the tools, we refuse to open our mouth, and then we get to choose a prize from the treasure chest. I don’t remember the process being as agonizing with Grady, but I can’t argue with the results. Grady is a kid who is completely comfortable in the dentist chair and I’m fairly certain it’s being we invested so much time in making the dentist a fun and relaxing place to be.
The specialist called last week to confirm Poppy’s appointment and I voiced my concern. I wanted to give them a heads up that we would be following Poppy’s lead and I wouldn’t force her to endure an exam if she wasn’t willing. If I was concerned about anything specific, it would be a different story, but she seems to have healed well and her teeth are not wiggly, out of place, or discoloured. I didn’t consider this appointment the same as when Grady needed stitches or Poppy needed an Epi-Pen administered; in those cases I absolutely held my babies down as they fought for freedom. It had to be done. But this didn’t feel like that so I informed the specialist.
They were receptive to what I was saying, but reassured me that their office is set up to cater to kids, they deal with kids all day long, they’re pros, they have their tricks and hacks to get kids excited and cooperative, etc. And the whole time I was very Jennifer-Lawrence-OK-gif but what else could I do but try to prepare them the best I could and then sit back and let them work?
Our appointment was today. Poppy was impressed with the office (there was a kid-sized pirate ship in the waiting room!) but when it came to the actual exam, she wasn’t having it. The staff was amazing, and they tried so hard to make her comfortable, but in the end we didn’t get much done. The dentist did end up getting a look at her teeth but the dentist also got her finger bitten when she didn’t stop when Poppy told her to stop. I would have loved to be proven wrong, and walk out with a set of X-rays and a detailed exam, but in the end all I had was the knowledge that I know my kid really well.