First dentist visit!

Maggie went with me to the dentist today ... we didn't have an actual appt. for her; she was just coming with me to get acquainted and familiar with everything. The hygienist was GREAT with her. She changed the TV screen to Barney and gave Maggie her own special chair to sit in. She offered Maggie a mask and/or some gloves, but Maggie didn't want to wear it, and Sally (the hygienist) was very laid back and kept saying, "That's OK. That's fine," if there was anything Maggie didn't want to do.

She let Maggie count down, "1, 2, 3, GO!" every time she raised or lowered my chair, so that Maggie thought SHE was the one moving the chair, ha ha. Sally showed Maggie every tool and explained what it was used for, letting her feel the air that shoots out, the suction machine, and the water squirter. Maggie was up on her knees, peering over to look in my mouth when Sally started cleaning and examining my teeth-she was really interested in what was going on. We let her pick out the flavor of toothpaste for my cleaning, and Sally showed her how to operate the spinning thing that cleans the teeth. She showed her my old x-rays, and let her refill my water cup. Maggie had a blast!! At one point, Maggie was refilling the cup, then either gargling it and spitting in the little sink, or she was just pouring the water out and refilling it over and over. I was worried about her making a mess or wasting water, but Sally said to me, "Really, honestly, she's fine. This is great-she's having fun and feels comfortable. That's what we want this first visit to be all about."

Maggie and I competed to see who could open our mouths the biggest, and Sally was able to look at Maggie's teeth this way and give her a brief exam. When she started sticking her fingers in Maggie's mouth, Maggie acted like she wasn't happy, so Sally stopped and went back to working on me. At the end, when I got out of the big chair, Maggie wanted to get in it and lie down. She insisted that I not be anywhere near the chair with her, but then when Sally asked if she could feel her teeth, Maggie said she wanted me to do it. So I pretended, and then she let Sally. Sally said her teeth seem fine, and that she didn't feel any signs of decay. She said to bring Maggie with me again next time, just to increase her familiarity with everything, and in a year we'll try a cleaning. Maggie also met the dentist when he came to examine me, and he was equally great with her. She was confused, though, when we called him "Dr. Prince"; she looked at Sally and said, "I thought you were Dr. Sally?" So after that, Dr. Prince starting referring to the two of them as "Dr. Sally and Dr. Joe." :-)

I was just really impressed at how well Sally connected with Maggie and how at-ease she made her feel. As we left, she gave Maggie a pinwheel with a tooth on it, and Maggie gave her a big hug! Sally also told Maggie she could take her mask home, and as we were walking out of the lobby, Maggie put her mask on and wanted to run back inside to show Sally. When we were in the car coming home, I asked Maggie what she thought about it, and she said she thought it was fun and wanted to go back. Yay!