I really didn’t plan too much to prepare G for his first ever dental checkup last week. I had envisioned checking out all kinds of books from the library and reading them all week, but I decided instead just to tell him stories and talk about it daily. That seemed to help. That AND the fact that he accompanied Ken and I both to our last checkup in July just to watch and learn. The dentist office wouldn’t be so unfamiliar….and the staff actually applauded our tactics to get him used to the environment a couple of months beforehand.

He had a bit of night-before anxiety, but we quelled it with a reminder that he is BIG and FOUR now and will do JUST fine. We also reminded him that it was his birthday weekend, and there was lots of fun in store afterward.

The morning of his appointment, he sat calmly with us in the waiting room and played games on Daddy’s iPhone. (Oh, technology!) He had a itty-bitty freak out when he entered the room and saw the chair, but when the hygienist said he could sit in my lap, he seemed more relaxed.

The only thing which he seemed not to care for was the suction straw — but the hygienist called it “Mr. Thirsty,” which got a smile out of him.

The dentist was quite amused at his demeanor for his age, and also at the fact that the slight stain on his back molar was caused by drinking hot tea occasionally. (“I’m 26 years old,” he grinned, “and I don’t think I’ve ever had hot tea.”)

Soon it was all over, and he was able to pick out some stickers, toothpaste, and a new toothbrush. Job well done! He could breathe a bit easier, and I could, too. (I’m hoping he won’t inherit my horrible tendency for cavities!)