Etta Goes To The Dentist

Etta went to the dentist for the first time today! I should have taken her MONTHS ago, but a combination of a busy schedule, new baby, and my fear of how she'd do with someone's fingers in her mouth kept me from making the appointment. Over the last few months, she has actually started to let me brush her teeth without much of a fight. This had me hopeful that her first visit to the dentist would go well. So, after asking around, the consensus was to take her to Dr. McNutt in Nashville. His pediatric practice specializes in children and adults with special needs. So, I made the appointment. I've been hyping it a little. E and I have been talking about her teeth and pointing to them and counting them. So, with my fingers crossed, we showed up this morning. Mel was wonderful enough to meet me up there so that she could hang out with Daniel in the waiting area while I went back with Etta.

Etta got to go back and pick out a movie while I went over her health history with a staff member. When I was finished, I went to peek around the corner at her. She was sitting in that chair LETTING the girl clean her teeth!! I was just going to watch from the wings, but when the dental assistant turned to get something, Etta bolted from her chair and I had to grab her and take her back. My cover was blown, but it didn't matter, she still sat in that chair and let them clean her teeth! (Plus, then I got to take pictures!) I couldn't believe how well she was doing

She got to go pick out a prize!

She pretended to brush this stuffed animal's teeth for a couple minutes

We had a little bit of trouble keeping her in the chair while we waited on Dr. McNutt to come see her after her teeth were all clean. When he finally came over (which, really, wasn't THAT long, but with a kid who doesn't want to sit still, it felt like a long time. lol) she was a trooper again as he poked around in her mouth.

The report was good. Her teeth look good and her gums look good. Her bite is a little off, but he said it was not uncommon for children to have that and especially not uncommon for kids with Ds. Also, since she's a bit of a "mouth breather" it can affect her bite. He also told me her paci use wasn't as terrible as I thought it might be. haha. I was waiting to get in trouble, but he was ok with it since she's only using it to get herself to sleep. He was happy that it wasn't her thumb. So, I'll try to break her of her paci use... one day...

My experience (and hers) was a good one today. Nashville friends, I recommend this practice. ;)