Pepper

I loathe going to the dentist.  I can think of very few things that I hate more than dental work.  But I've decided that it actually makes me a better therapist.  Those 45 minutes of sheer torture every six months help remind me of what life must be like for all of my sweet little feeding kiddos during their 30 minutes of daily feeding therapy with me...(What I'm sure they will one day lovingly look back on as their own version of cruel and unusual punishment.)

I hope for my own children that they won't share my dread of dental check ups, and with the experience that we had on Friday for Hunter's first trip to the dentist, I'd say we're on the road to that kid being in love with dental work...or at least being in love with his dental hygenist, Pepper.  How cute is that name?  She was destined to work with kids I tell you.  And as cute as her name is, her little voice was even cuter.  I was really impressed with the entire visit, y'all.  The wait time was extremely minimal and all of the staff were super kid-oriented and there were several different places for little ones to play with toys...that they even provided for us.

Maybe it's because I work with kids that are going through some pretty hard stuff, so I can see how important it is to approach things from the child's perspective.  Whatever the reason, I was seriously impressed with this place, y'all.  Pepper did an excellent job of showing Hunter all of her tools, using age-appropriate language with him, and being super gentle.  She reminded me of a really good Child Life Specialist. 

First Hunter got to pick out a toothbrush and the flavor "foam" (fluoride) that he wanted.  He went with Buzz Lightyear and Marshmallow flavor...

Pepper had to leave for a second after this, so Hunter started looking around at everything asking lots of questions and seeming a little overwhelmed...(just one example of a time when I was thankful for their speediness)...

Before we knew it, Pepper was back and started showing Hunter all of her tools. First she showed him the mirror and told him that it may rub against his cheek a little...

After he was comfortable with it, she rubbed it on his hand so he could feel it. 

Next she showed him the plaque scraper thingy, (I know my sister is loving my technical dental hygeine speak right now.) and told Hunter she was going to use it to "count his teeth". Here she's showing him by counting his fingers...

Then was the polisher (a personal least favorite of mine)...

Then the water squirter and suction tools (more with my technical terminology)...

She squirted the water on the chair and then sucked it up.  Hunter thought that part was WAY cool.

Then it was time for Hunter to lay down, so Pepper handed over these stylin' sunglasses and got to work...

I have to brag on my son for a second here (isn't that what the blog is for?), and say that I was so impressed with how cooperative he was during the entire exam.  Pepper thought so, too, so it's not just my parental bias:)

After the cleaning, it was xray time.  Once again Hunter proved to be the perfect patient...even with the bite wing things on the side that feel like they are cutting your gums all up.  I was extremely impressed with him.  And thought he looked like the most adorable kid ever in his lead apron...

We were so proud of H, and he got to pick a toy from the treasure chest for all of his hard work.  He went with a slimy snake toy.  Awesome.

Hunter got a sticker chart to fill out for spitting out his toothpaste - we're still using the training toothpaste because he swallows it.  When he completes the chart, we get to mail it in and get another prize!  Can't wait to see what that will be...hopefully not another slimy snake:)