First Trip To The Dentist

Today I took Jackson for his first dentist appointment. I was concerned because his top teeth seemed to be looking a little different lately and I wanted to find out if he had decay so that we could start treatment as soon as possible. I did a little asking around and found the name of a highly recommended pediatric dentist in the area, Dr. Pike.

Before our appointment, the office sent us some stuff in the mail to help prepare for the visit. Jackson's favorite item was a coloring book that told the story of visiting the dentist for the first time.

In the days leading up to the visit, we talked to Jackson about how he was going to visit the "tooth doctor" and practiced looking in his mouth and checking his teeth. Jackson LOVES going to the regular doctor for his check-ups, so he seemed pretty excited about going to the tooth doctor.

When we arrived at the office, we were greated with a beautiful kid-friendly waiting area with fun toys, books and padded climbing bleachers for kids. There was even a neon rainbow on the ceiling!

After a few minutes, Dr. Pike came out to the waiting area, introduced himself to me and Jackson and then sat right next to me on the bleachers to talk about J and what my concerns were. He was SO kind and very impressed that I knew what things like Xylitol and Spry mints were. ;) He said that from the sound of my concerns that Jackson could have some enamel issues but that he would know for sure after the exam. After our chat in the lobby, which lasted about 10 minutes or so, he led Jackson and me to the back and showed us the "Cartoon Room." He seemed to really understand young children and their developmental needs. His goal is to remove the fear from the word "dentist" and make visiting the dentist something kids look forward to, so he provides an environment that is fun for kids of all ages.

Then after the cartoon room, it was on to the gerbil cage! Jackson loved looking at the gerbils. He thought they were mice, but close enough. ;) Dr. Pike (Sr.) introduced us to Dr. Pike (his son) and we chatted for a bit while Jackson explored the toy box.

One of the most unique things about the office is that there are not individual exam rooms. There is just one large room with multiple, colorful exam tables lined up. Kids can see all of the other kids and parents who are there at the same time. It really takes the mystery out of all the strange sounds you can hear at the dentist.

Finally, Dr. Pike and his assistant walked Jackson to one of the tables. We sat on a little bench and Dr. Pike had Jackson lay his head in my lap while he looked at his teeth. Jackson did a great job of opening his mouth and letting the doctor check his teeth. Dr. Pike agreed that Jackson has the very early signs of enamel decay but said that we had caught it VERY early, which is good. He said the best course of action is some topical treatments every two months in the office, plus a couple of modifications at home. He was very confident that the enamel could be remineralized since we caught it so early. So Jackson let the doctor brush a couple of things onto his teeth, then it was time to pick a toy from the toy box and we were done! We said good-bye to the gerbils and the doctor and headed home. No tears, no stress!

As soon as we left, Jackson wanted to go back, so I think overall it was a very successful first dental visit! We LOVE Dr. Pike!