I was waiting till Autumn was 3 1/2 to take her to the dentist for the first time, but well- something came up and we had to take her in earlier than planned. Which worked out for the best anyways, she will be 3 1/2 right before the baby gets here, and I am sure the last thing I will want to do is take her to the dentist when I am in the last few weeks of my pregnancy. The dentist office was so much fun. We got a referral from Autumn's pediatrician and had I not called them I would've taken her to a regular dentist, one that could be seen by the whole family so that one office had all our dental records and info but they recommended a pediatric dentist because of what happened. I am so glad we went with their advice. The office is called Treasured Smiles which is so fitting.
The entire place was pirate themed. The murals on the wall, the decor, the books, the toys. I don't know what has gotten Autumn into pirates, but lately she closes one eye and says, "Arg." (Actually- I think it's Captain Hook and his crew from Peter Pan, that's the only place I can think she has seen pirates.) Their waiting area kept Autumn completely occupied while I did paperwork and set up future appointments.
Here are some pics of the office:
This is an XBOX 360 and Playstation station, but we went early in the morning and they don't turn them on till the afternoon when the older kids come in. But Autumn pretended she played and kept asking to go up the stairs...
Checking out their fish tank-
She called this guy Captain hook, and kept walking around him checking him out.
Even the bathroom was done up. So fun.
I didn't take any pics once we went back into the rooms, but they took us on a tour of their facility. I saw the operation rooms, xray rooms, the sterilizing room, where the dentist hangs out between patients and the main area where they do cleanings. I didn't take any pics back there because there was so much for me to pay attention to and Autumn was super clingy. But they had treasure chests everywhere and every square inch of this place is made to look like you're on a deserted island, or hanging out with mermaids and/or pirates. But it wasn't annoying or distracting.
On Wed. night Autumn was playing on the couch and we have a rule (that we try and enforce- but kids will be kids and it's hard to teach them not do something when they see other kids doing it) of no standing or jumping or walking on the couch (or beds or chairs or others people furnitrue) and I wasn't in the room and Drew was walking out of the living room- well Autumn somehow rolled or fell of the couch and smacked her face on the tile. I came running in and picked her up and tried calming her down, but there was obviously something wrong. She was crying harder than she does when she has a normal fall or hits something, and grabbing her lower jaw. So we focused all our attention on her bottom teeth and made sure none of them were loose. Once she calmed down and was fine I ran to the store. When I got back I was showing Autumn some clothes I got her and Weston and when she smiled and said, "Oh cute!" I saw it. She has chipped one of her front teeth, giving the appearance of a gap between her teeth. My heart sank. I hadn't noticed it before because when she grabbed her mouth she grabbed her bottom teeth, but really- it would be quite awkward to try and hold your top teeth so she grabbed what felt natural in her mouth so we looked in the wrong place.
She wasn't having any issues talking or drinking or eating but we decided to take her to the dentist anyways (ok- I decided- I am a worrier). I worried about future cavities, sensitivity, nerve damage, the tooth turning yellow/brown. So into the dentist we went. He was glad we came in, many people let chipped baby teeth go, figuring it's just a baby tooth and will fall out but it really can impact the health of the permanent tooth that will replace it. He could tell that the tooth had been pushed back when she hit the floor but because she is a thumb sucker when she sleeps she had pushed it back into place. The dentist was worried about stress that was put on the root/nerve at the time of the trauma so decided that by filling and putting a cap on the tooth this would help calm the nerve. He was very thorough in explaining everything and making sure I understood what all could be entailed from chipping a tooth and the best options for such a young kid. I thought he would take xrays to check the root but he is going to wait till we do the cap, when she is sedated. Which makes sense. If he sees any damage there will be further surgery, but we're hoping that nothing extensive needs to be done outside of the procedure of filling and capping the tooth. Because even that is a pretty penny, but I am grateful for insurance. The only thing the insurance is not covering is the anesthia, and Autumn will require 2 types of sedation because she is so young. At a time like this, we are grateful that the moment the kids are born they are covered under our medical, vision, and dental.
This was right after I noticed it-
Now she is used to lifting her lip up so others can see it.
I realize the gap is small, but when she is talking or smiling it's all I see, because it wasn't always there. It's actually quite noticeable and even her preschool teacher commented on it after school yesterday. In a week Autumns beautiful smile will look just like it used to.
As a side note, the dentist did say when she is 6 or 7 he will refer her to a orthodontist because she has lots of crowding and an overbite (from sucking her thumb.) And can already tell she will need braces. Which is no surprise- Drew and I could've benefited from braces when we were younger. Other than that and the chip her teeth look great!
