Earlier this week, I had my twice-yearly dental appointment and decided to take CC along for the ride.I thought it would be great for her to see what goes on during the cleaning, polishing and toothbrush-giving process. And to give her a taste of what's to come. Let's just say, I'm now questioning my sanity over that decision.
I love my dentist. Love. That's why every six months I make the trek up to the Los Feliz/Glendale border to see her. Dr. Ligia Lopez is sweet, thorough and loves to talk about her kids and grandkids. She saw me through my pregnancy, and this time I thought it would be great for her to see the finished product.
But by the end of the visit, I think she was ready to chase the finished product out the door with one of those crazy dental drills. We even had to call in reinforcements (aka the receptionist) to help rein in the toddler while I was immobilized in the chair.
We tried with stickers, books and even a talking tooth toy, but CC was transfixed by all the cords and expensive equipment. I think that appointment went a little quicker than usual, but we did manage a quick pic of CC and Dr. Lopez, smiling through the pain.
I asked Dr. Lopez when kids should go to the dentist, and she said 3 was a good age. Before then, apparently they're hard to corral. (Hmm, don't believe it.)
In related news, I also received some tips from the California Association of Orthodontists. They say kids should visit an orthodontist no later than age 7 because doctors can spot subtle problems with jaw growth and teeth while a child still has her baby teeth. Some things to look out for are:
- early or late loss of baby teeth
- difficulty in chewing or biting
- jaws that shift or make sounds
And, finally, like I said, I love my dentist, but I also got word of another L.A. dentist, Dr. Jay Grossman, who operates out of Brentwood and on April 6 offered free dental appointments to L.A. moms who had lost their jobs.
Knowing first hand what it's like to be employment-challenged, I'd like to commend him for helping out those in the community.
In the meantime, keep brushing!
7 comments:
I just took my three year old triplets to the dentist for the first time. Only one actually got their teeth cleaned. Dr. Lee in Moorpark has a great office, set up specifically for kids, however, I think they too were glad to see us leave.
Three-year-old triplets going to the dentist?! I totally admire you. Thanks for the tip on Dr. Lee. Will definitely need one who's patient!
Strange you should post this because I've been putting off the dentist for awhile (it's so hard to find one you like!). I feel mighty ashamed! I'm overdue for a cleaning ...
Also, now I have a strange desire to watch "Grease" ... LOL.
Yeah, I put off going for a while before I met Dr. Lopez. She's really great, though. And, afterward, you can reward yourself with "Grease"! Rama-lama-ding-dong!
Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know that the link to for the CAO changed from www.braces.org/ca to just www.braces.org
Kids could either be amazed or frightened whenever they see new and bizarre equipment, especially the ones used on people, like those drills for teeth and all that. All dentists, just like your dentist, Dr. Lopez, dentists from other countries, St. Petersburg dentists, New York dentists, or any other dentist from other places try their best not to scare kids whenever they do something to their teeth. I grew up being scared of the dentist, actually. I don't want my kid to grow up like that, so I'll take him to a St. Petersburg dentist as soon as the right age for the first dentist visit comes.
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