Say cheese!

It started out better than I could have imagined- Sophie was SO excited for her first visit to the dentist and told anyone who would listen-- her teachers, her friends, the office manager at her daycare, etc-- her great "adventure" ahead. We had been reading The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist as recommended by the pediatric dentist and it definitely helped to get her prepared for what to expect when we got there. I also made sure to tell Sophie how I enjoy going to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned (I wasn't just saying it, I really do like seeing my dental hygienist for my regular checks) so she could see that going to the dentist isn't anything to be anxious about.

And so from the moment I picked her up from school to us sitting in the waiting area at the dentist's office, you really would not have seen a happier child going to the dentist- you would have thought she was going to the circus! She said 'hi' to the nurses when we walked in, showed them her Berestain Bears book, and even bragged about how she brushes her teeth all by herself (she doesn't, she just likes to think she does). I couldn't have been more proud...

Even when we entered the examination room, Sophie was still really excited and curious- she asked the nurses about the "tools", just like she had read in her book and happily picked out a free toothbrush that the dentist would later use to show us how to properly brush her teeth. And then, it happened. They asked her to sit in the dentist chair and it was straight downhill from there- screaming, crying, flailing, big fat rolling tears- everything you DON'T WANT a first dental vist to be like :( I ended up having to hold her in my lap facing me, legs around my waist, lying back across the dentist's lap. To make things worse, the dentist then tried flossing Sophie's teeth (with what I guess was flavored with menthol/mint), at which point the poor girl started shouting plaintively, "No! No! It's spicy! I don't want spicy!!! Noooooo!!!"

The dentist was amazing though and actually managed to complete the check-up despite the catastrophic meltdown- all 20 baby teeth are in and accounted for (yay!), teeth are in perfect condition (yay!), and no cavities (yay!). Which meant Sophie got her name put in the No Cavity Club where at the end of each month, one name will be drawn and the child picked will receive either a Beanie Baby or a gift card to our local bookstore. How awesome is that?

Just as quickly as she descended into her epic freak-out, Sophie snapped right back to her happy irrepressible self the moment the check-up was over. I asked her later if she had been afraid of the dentist and she said 'no' (thank you, Berestain Bears!)- apparently, what made her cry was lying in that chair alone. I told her she could bring one of her stuffed toys along the next time and that made her break out into a huge smile- "Can I bring DoDo (her teddy bear)? Oh no, that's not a good idea. DoDo has no teeth! He has fur!! Silly Sophie!!"

With Dr. Amy, the calm AFTER the storm...