Leah is almost 3 ½ years old and I had been putting off scheduling her first dentist appointment. I knew it was something I needed to do, but I think I was nervous as to how it would go and just didn’t want to deal with it. After talking to my girlfriend Jaime, she told me about a pediatric dental practice in Naperville called ‘Just for Kids.’ She had taken her son there and had a very positive experience (exactly what I was looking for) . She passed along the contact information to me and I decided to call and schedule an appointment. The soonest I could get her in was 2 months from when I made the call. Wow – I didn’t realize it would be such a long wait.
For the past several weeks, I’ve been prepping Leah for the appointment. I told her the dentist was really nice and he would want to look at her teeth and count them. She seemed pretty onboard from the beginning. She asked a few questions and then informed me that she wanted to go the dentist. The week leading up to the appointment she would ask if it was the day to go to the dentist. When the day finally arrived, I think I was more nervous than she was. I was worried that she would get scared and cry or just flat out not cooperate. She was excited the whole car ride there (and not nervous at all). We had the first appointment of the morning at 8:00 am. When we arrived, she seemed pretty relaxed. It was definitely a kid-friendly environment. Everything was colorful and there were books and toys. Shortly after we signed in, the dental hygienist came out to greet Leah (and me). Leah warmed up to her pretty quickly. (I swear – Leah has definitely changed over the past couple of months and has come out of her shell).
At the dentist office, they bring the child back all by themselves and the moms and dads have to wait in the lobby. I understand why they do this, but I thought for sure Leah would tense up and not want to leave me. Miss Kathy, the hygienist, talked to Leah for about 5 minutes asking her questions about her brother and what she likes to do for fun. Leah was not shy at all. Eventually Miss Kathy took Leah’s hand and off they went. Leah was not bothered by it all and didn’t even think twice. In a weird way, it made me sad. My little girl is growing up!
After waiting for 30+ minutes, Miss Kathy came out to the lobby and told me that Leah was done and had done excellent! She told me I could come back to the room and the dentist would go over everything with me. When I walked back to the room, Leah was laying on the chair – laughing and talking with the dentist. Oh my god….who is this child? She had on a necklace, bracelet and a ring. Cinderella was on in the background. She was happy as a clam. The dentist said she was a perfect little patient and explained she got her teeth cleaned and flossed and he was even able to take some xrays. I thought for sure, she would be a little difficult or not want to follow the instructions, but the dentist said she was a good listener. Leah was happy to see me and gave me a big hug. My dad had met me at the dental office, so he was in the room with us too. The dentist said that he put a princess crown on Leah and took a picture with her so she could remember the experience. They will mail it to me when they get it printed. Overall, I was so pleased with her first dentist appointment and so proud of my little lady. Hopefully future appointments go this smooth.
Leah excited for her first appointment!
