Mommy recently took me to see the dentist and she did lots of research before finding just the right dentist for me. Mommy’s college roommate is now her and Daddy’s dentist and she recommended that a child go to a pediatric dentist. This way, the experience is not as traumatic and the child will like to go back. Mommy took her friend’s advice and did hardcore research to find me the right dentist. These are the criteria:
– must speak Mandarin (so the dentist can communicate with me directly)
– attended dental school in the USA
– preferably someone from Taiwan
– female (because Mommy knows I prefer females)
My pure luck, Mommy was able to find Dr. Julie Baveja, who meets all of the above criteria, but happened to be married to an Indian man. Her office is far away in Chantilly, but Mommy thought that it was still worth the drive to give me the best possible dental experience.
My visit was a success! I was on my best behavior and let Dr. Baveja did all she needed to do. Here’s a recap of the experience.
Here I am sitting in the chair about to get started:
They let me pick my own animal toothbrush and toothpaste. My choice was a zebra toothbrush with pineapple toothpaste — a yummy combo, wouldn’t you say?
They gave me sunglasses so I wouldn’t get stuff splattered on my face.
After the whole pleasant experience, I got to choose lots and lots of toys. Here’s all of my loot:
Mommy videotaped the whole experience. I think I surprised people how well-behaved I was.
Looking back, here are all the things that made a difference at a pediatric dentist’s office:
– kid-friendly waiting room with toys and books
– big screw TV in examine rooms with Disney programming
– large stuffed safari animals on the floor
– vinyl decals of Disney characters on walls
– kid- friendly toothbrushes and toothpaste
– Dr. Baveja singing songs to me while cleaning my teeth
– choosing toys after the visit
How are my teeth, you ask? Well, they are perfect. No cavities. There is separation between each tooth which is the way it should be to make room for adult teeth. My underbite is not a concern and does not predict that the adult teeth will have an underbite. I should also start using toothpaste with fluoride even though I may still swallow some of it.
I guess Mommy’s friend was right — pediatric dentists know what they are doing and it is worth it to see one!