FIRST DENTIST VISIT
Jared got to go to the dentist for the first time today. After Mom & Dad's visits, Jared and Zach got to ride in the dentist chair (which, by the way, goes up much higher than you'd expect!) together. They were only slightly impressed, and when it tilted back, Zach, not wanting to be forced to take a nap, decided he wanted off. Jared looked a little nervous, but was very cooperative and quiet while the hygienist demonstrated several tools. She watched him closely to gauge his reactions, and despite telling me that she probably wouldn't even look in his mouth, he let her do all sorts of things! She counted his teeth, looked at them all with a mirror, sprayed them with air, sprayed them with water (after a few test squirts across the room), suctioned the water back out, polished several teeth with her "tooth tickler," and flossed. What a champ! He looked a bit concerned, as if he wanted to ask a question, and I noticed that after he got up, he wouldn't talk and seemed to be holding something in his mouth. I discerned that he wasn't sure if he was allowed to swallow, so we got him a drink of water and all was well. Then he picked out a cool new toothbrush that looks like a Crayola marker and has a suction cup on the bottom, got a dentist mirror to take home, and got to choose a toy (a bright gold knock-off Power Ranger, of all things!) Zach got a new toothbrush, a dentist mirror, and a toy. He also immediately went for the Power Ranger (it must be a boy thing, or maybe because it was sooo very shiny!), but when Jared grabbed it first, the hygienist produced a shiny metallic pink one from the bottom of the toy basket. Oh joy. But Zach has very happily pulled its arm off 4 times now, so who am I to judge his shiny Pink Ranger?