Elliot's first visit to the dentist

It took me a while to find a dentist I wanted Erik to visit and even then I procrastinated on calling. Erik is already on track with his dentist visits, so such is the life of a second child, when his 6 month checkup came upon us, I just added Elliot on to his visit. In comparison, Elliot is going a whole year earlier than his brother went to the dentist for the very first time.

I had no clue how today would go, Elliot is only 2 years, 3 months and rather unpredictable in these situations. So I asked Carl to go with us just so I could make sure to take pictures and Elliot responds better to Carl than me in these stressful situations, an extra layer of comfort.

The best part of this facility is the waiting room. It is truly meant for kids and true to form these days I showed up 15 minutes late to our appointment (I always push it by trying to find street parking) and the receptionist didn't even blink an eye. So we waited 10 minutes and got to have some waiting room fun, which is unpredictable with my 4 year old these days.

First up was Erik who is always so well behaved in these situations. He did everything the dentist and hygienist asked of him and didn't put up an once of protest. He was a perfect example for his brother on how to get his teeth cleaned.

Elliot watched from his daddy's lap and the more he watched the grumpier he got.

Then it was our little guy's turn and as I predicted, he wouldn't sit in the chair by himself so daddy sat with him because he would have demanded daddy, but it also makes my life easier and allows me to take pictures.

After he was able to sit with his daddy it wasn't too bad. He never cried or fussed. He did have a bit of trouble with the concept of opening his mouth and keeping it open for the hygienist to work, but I have that problem everyday when I brush his teeth. They told us the usual, teeth looked good, floss, and that his 2 year molars aren't in which we knew. They cleaned him up and he was good to go. No fluoride this visit because we were too afraid he would swallow it.

Its tradition at this office that new patients take a picture with their dental stuffed animals, but Elliot wasn't too happy with the idea. It meant getting off of daddy's lap, but once he got to brush the teeth he was all smiles.

We also saw a different dentist in the office, not Dr. Zinna, but I actually liked her more and thought the kids responded to her better, and Dr. Zinna is pretty great. So we'll definitely be back to this place every six months.

In all, a great visit for a barely two year old who is going through separation issues!