I'm vigilant about the care of my children's teeth, and have chosen, until now, to take on their dental care myself. We floss and brush regularly, and I'm careful about their sugar/juice/dried fruit intake. They know what foods are good for their teeth, and what a cavity is.
This summer they will all visit the dentist for the first time. Margot's appointment went off without a hitch; she was given the all clear: healthy teeth! Violet's appointment is today, and yesterday afternoon she decided she wanted to write a little note to her dentist.
I sat with her, helping her print each word.
The teacher in me shone with pride that she already knows to print left to right, understands the concept of return sweep (where to go when you run out of space!), and leaving spaces between her words.
The mother in me smiled at her polite request, so carefully worded and printed.
Years of thumb-sucking has taken a toll on Violet's bite; in other words, she will be an orthodontist's dream in a few years. I'm hoping that for today, Dr. Kingston will withhold comment, praising her instead for her clean, white, healthy teeth.
We'll worry about braces later.
I was an avid thumb sucker until age 5. I do have a slight overbite, but nothing too significant. This is a very sweet post - can you come teach my daughter to hold her pencil correctly? lol...every time I try to correct her, she just gets mad at me!
ReplyDeleteI did not have my first cavity until I was 24 and I was very distraught about that first one. We try to brush my daughters teeth every night (we were forgetful at first). We have never put her to bed with a bottle. She is a thumb sucker and we'll worry about that one later.
ReplyDeleteSo sweet! Her little tattoo between her little shoulder blades! And such good penmanship :) I hope the dentist focusses on all the goodness in her little smile. Can't wait to hear how it goes!
ReplyDeleteShe is so nice! I am sure that everything is fine!
ReplyDeleteWhat a coincidence...I just took my boys for a dentist appointment this afternoon. It was the first one ever for Jasper (who is almost 4) and only the second one for Owen (7). I am so upset - Jasper has 2 cavities (and due to his age the dentist referred us to a pediatric dentist, he will have to be sedated) and Owen has 4 cavities. Not only is this going to cost a small fortune (our coverage is limited), but I feel like an awful mom for allowing this to happen. I do make sure they brush their teeth every night, but I have not been consistent in making sure they do it properly. I am so mad at myself!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your appointment went better! Voilet's note is so sweet.
Laura Jeanne...you didn't do harm to your children's teeth with intent, so please don't be upset with yourself! I have a friend who prided herself on her NO SUGAR rule...but her kids had tons of cavities from the dried fruit they ate instead. It's a challenge to floss and brush every night, esp. with four children. Forgive yourself, and I'll pray you find the funds to cover the costs. I dream of advocating for universal dental care...it's criminal to me that families can't afford to get care for their children's teeth because of lack of money, when it is such a basic health issue!
DeleteOh my goodness!!! A girl after my own heart with her letter writing. He will treasure that and should frame it and hang it in his waiting room. Please do a follow up post with how it went and his reaction to this note.
ReplyDeleteViolet's check up showed no cavities! The dentist talked to her about her thumb sucking and we're going to try to be more conscious of not letting her do it during the day, as he agreed that her overbite is considerable! She was so cute and chatty, and he was delighted with the card. He asked if he could keep it and said he'd hang it in his office. So sweet!
ReplyDeleteYay, I'm so glad that the doc's delight was visible. What a great reinforcer for Violet and her writing and thoughtfulness! And YAY, YAY, YAY for no cavities!
DeleteIt's my non-thumb-sucking child who needs all of the orthodontics. Go figure.