Smith Family Weblog

Today began with dental check-ups for the girls. It took Olivia quite a long time to warm up to the idea of sitting in the exam chair, but as this particular office caters to children, no one really rushed her.

She took her time brushing the scary-looking dentures in this dragon, saying over and over, “Dragon say ROOOOAAAAAAAR.”

She finally climbed in, dragon in hand.

She soon realized she could use the giant toothbrush as a weapon to protect herself against the dentist’s rather intrusive exam. Apparently, she’s quite secretive about her gum line and tartar buildup.

I ended up having to hold her, flipping her upside down into the dentist’s lap for the exam. Since it’s hard not to show off your teeth while screaming, the dentist got a pretty good look. She said that Olivia’s two-year molars were about 70 percent in, and we could expect them to be completely in another month or two.

I asked the dentist if the ADA had perhaps changed the recommendation on pacifier usage past age two. No luck.

She did say, though, it would be a bad idea to take away a pacifier from a teething toddler, so  we can wait at least a few more weeks. (And, speaking of bad ideas, I’m not sure I want to go cold turkey over the holidays, either. Maybe giving up the paci can be Liv’s New Year’s resolution.)

So while Olivia treated the office visit like a near brush with death, guess who was compliant as can be?

Hopefully next time Olivia will follow Ava’s great example.