Movies, Trains, Video Games and Bouncy Balls

Now, with the above title, how many would've guessed I was referring to the Dentist office?

Last Friday, I took all four kids to the dentist. 8am in a town 45 minutes away (with traffic). Of course, in rush hour, heading toward DC, I hit traffic. So, we left at 7am. I expected an easy-breezy visit with Ben, Reagan and Tommy... not sure what to expect with Gracelynn. Before we left for China, I called to add her to the checkup visits. They could fit her in at 8:40, so I felt happy to have her first dentist appointment scheduled. Then, when we first got Gracelynn and realized she had NEVER brushed her teeth in her life, we panicked. Our first instinct was to immediately call and cancel her appointment. However, as weeks went by, we realized she was the one child in the family that LIKED to brush her teeth. So, I kept the appointment. I'm glad I did.

The reason I travel 45 minutes to get to the dentist is that it's the coolest pediatric dentist's office I've ever seen. In the LARGE waiting area, there is a tree (fake, but real sized) that houses a kitchen area, an air-hockey table, a video-game center with four stools and PS2's, a large-screen plasma TV with theater-style steps to watch movies under a ceiling of white starry lights, huge bean-bag chairs to pile up and jump on, and many books to boot... and that doesn't include the adult area with a TV and comfy chairs and magazines and a coffee station. The bathroom is completely automatic... toilet, paper towels, soap and trashcan. No touching anything but the toilet paper. :-) Then, before you head back to the huge office (with at least 12-14 seats), you pick your DVD that plays on the movable TV screen at your chair. If the DVD isn't enough to distract you, perhaps the big train track attached to the ceiling above will keep your attention while the hygenists put their bubble-gum flavored gloved hands into your mouth while you wear cool sunglasses under the light. To say the least, it's VERY VERY VERY child friendly. Plus they do the orthodontic work there, so no extra offices to worry about.

I watched Ben, Tommy, and Reagan all head back with their movies. My goal was to have Grace sit with me while I watched Tommy. He has had his teeth injuries (fell on them on the concrete driveway and shifted two front teeth out of position about 1.5 years ago and now has two brown teeth), but the last couple of dentist visits went smoothly. Friday, however, he decided to have a meltdown. The Thomas the Tank Engine movie wasn't good enough. He wanted nothing to do with the super-sweet hygenist who kept playing games with him. I was so worried that Grace was getting a bad impression of dentists, so I had her look over at Reagan and Ben who were doing well. Eventually I had to hold Tommy on my lap and hold down his arms so they could briefly clean the teeth. Grace watched the DVD instead.

Then, after Tommy was done, we sat... and sat... and sat... and sat. How the one dentist could get stalled with her first appointment of the day, I don't know (our hygenist for Grace was held up because of the dentist). So, eventually I found myself chasing both kids around the office... basically saying, "Don't touch that", "Close that drawer", "Put that down", "Don't touch the dentist's tools", etc. Fortunately Reagan and Ben could sit in the waiting area on their own. Tommy was done at 8:40. Grace wasn't seen until 9:15. Ugh. I felt for sure that we were in for a huge meltdown, since it was obvious she was impatient. So was I! I almost never complain in doctor's offices... but that day I did.

Ha! She sat down, said, "cheese" and did everything the hygenist asked!!! She even had her X-rays taken beautifully!! I was astounded. First dentist visit and she loved it. Well, all four kids earned their prizes that day (... Tommy, well... at least he didn't injure anyone during the fits.) Bouncy balls and tattoos around!

Ok... one bad incident. Just as the dentist was making her way over to check over Grace's teeth, Grace and Tommy were fighting over the TV and who it should be pointing towards. Grace hauled off and kicked Tommy in the mouth. Geesh... At least we were at the dentist in case another tooth came loose. (He was fine... actually, she barely brushed his cheek, but she was in "timeout" with no TV screen for a short bit.)

Diagnosis? Ben comes back in 4 weeks to get the front teeth all "braced" up, in addition to the lovely appliance already in his mouth. Hopefully he'll be able to stop the face-mask at that point. Reagan was told another year till she begins orthodontic work. Tommy was fine, but since the two teeth did discolor, we now need to pay close attention to make sure they don't abscess and get infected. Grace has one tooth that is dysplastic (is that right?) where the enamel is thin and thus the tooth is more translucent and susceptible to cavities. It's a front tooth, and I did notice it being more yellow... I just assumed it was because of plaque.

Anyway, everyone now has shiny white teeth. :-) And Mommy made the next appointment in January with all four being seen at 8:00am (first appointment of the day) in side-by-side chairs! Woo-hoo! I get to sit back and watch and not chase anyone. Of course, I did tell Mike on my way home that he gets to take them next. LOL