Pearly Whites

I took Rudy to the dentist for the first time yesterday, and as I drove there, I thought of Oma and how she'd always talk to us about taking good care of our pearly whites when we were little. I smiled, thinking of how I hope to teach our kids the same dental hygiene values. (if there is such a thing as dental hygiene values.) :)
Anyway, I expected the visit to be a some what stressful event, kinda like well baby check-ups. Not so! This place was great! The whole office is covered in murals of all the things kids love, like a pet shop, a fun hat shop, trees and butterflies and children. When you walk in, there is a little stone pathway through the carpet leading into the back, like you're entering a very special place. The hygienist took Rudy on a tour of the whole place, right down to the bathrooms and the room where they sterilize all their tools. She spoke to him, and explained how things work to him. She let him choose his own tooth brush and floss to have his teeth cleaned with, and was just plain fun. The dentist was the same. They really helped Rudy to have a positive first experience at the dentist which is really what this first visit was all about anyway. I mean, they took x-rays and poked his teeth and stuff, but really, it seemed like it was mostly just for show-the kid's only got 7 teeth right now! Rudy wasn't a fan of having the x-ray stuff jammed into his mouth, nor of the sticky fluoride stuff the dentist painted on, but otherwise, he was really happy with the "outing". He even got to choose a toy out of the treasure chest at the end of it all. Now, if only I could find a pediatrician that's this kid friendly. :)