Camden had her 3 year check-up on Tuesday. She hadn't been sick in a while, so it was our first visit to the doctor in like 6 months! She was her typical self...had to be persuaded to get on the scale and let the nurse get her height (which was still a little of a "best guess"), but overall, was the best I've seen her at the doctor.
She was a little apprehensive and struggled against the nurse with the blood pressure cuff, but she let Dr. Joshi look in her ears (small miracle) and even opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. She's at the 90th percentile in both height and weight (doctor is pleased since they are both tracking together) and no worries with any developmental milestones. She weighs 34.6 lbs and is 39" tall.
I had also scheduled her first dental visit for later that morning so I would only miss one day of work. We have a top-rated pediatric dentist in Crawfordsville, so that's where we are going.
I've been talking to her for about a month about going to the dentist, and she always insists that her teeth are already clean. We watched a few videos and read a few books, but she was still pretty resistent to the idea. She actually has been to the dentist twice to look at her teeth after the accident, but they were both very brief, open the mouth and quickly assess, visits. Most people had been telling me that this first visit wouldn't be much different...just "tickling the teeth" and quickly assessing. Well....
We arrived a little early and Camden enjoyed the waiting room. They had a little carousel that she enjoyed riding and some papers she liked stacking and passing out, but there wasn't alot else. I was a little surprised with the lack of toys, but later learned why...
I was happy to hear Camden say (several times) that she was ready to go back to see the dentist.
The assistant called Camden's name and we both headed back.
The exam room had a whole toy section and there were several exam tables on the other side of the room where she could see other children being treated. The assistant talked briefly with me about medical history, then I headed back to the waiting room and Camden played and waited her turn....
About 40 minutes later they brought Camden out, complete with pouty lip, tears, and wimpers. She clung to me (and drooled all over my shirt) while we went back to get the report. Like many first timers, they assured me, she screamed and "fought" them for the first part of the visit, but finally let them do the exam. They had brushed, flossed, given a flouride treatment, and a full exam! All that is great, but she was sure not liking how her mouth felt (and who could blame her). They found several areas of concerns and want to ramp up the preventative care. We have some high flouride toothpaste and will go back for another flouride treatment in between the 6 month regular appointment. We will probably also have sealent put on two of her back teeth to prevent some spots from getting food stuck/infected and causing a cavity.
Camden wimpered and held her mouth funny all the way to Lafayette for lunch with Grammy. We got a little food, but she would take a bite and spit it out. She drooled everywhere and wouldn't talk! She slept all the way home and then some. When she got up and was ready to try eating, she successfully got some down, declared that the "blue stuff" was gone from her teeth, and exclaimed that she was all better. I think it was the flouride or "varnish" they put on her teeth that had left such a bad feeling in her mouth.
It seems pretty traumatic, but her teeth actually do look a lot better and she loves the new toothpaste. Hopefully future appointments will go well!
