Emmanuel's First Trip to the Dentist

Emmanuel is 3, and for about 2 1/2 years, I've been wondering when he should have his first trip to the dentist.  As it turns out, my pediatrician (and my sister-in-law) said that we should wait until he turns three. Now, three seemed like a really long time to me because he had 13 teeth when he was 12 months old.  He cut his 2 year molars at 18 months, and well, he has had a lot of teeth for a really long time.  Nevertheless, three was the general consensus...so, we waited.  

July came and E turned three!  It made sense to schedule all of us for a cleaning at the same time (and same place...more on that in a minute).  So, Team Foster loaded up in our minivan and took a trip to the dentist's office.

The boys waiting in the waiting area.

Now, I realize that most parents take their kids to a dentist that has a super cool office with TV's on the ceiling and video games in the waiting room.  I've even heard of dentist's offices that have a Chuck-E-Cheese-like feel with a place to redeem tickets for no cavities.  Cool, fun, and exciting, right?  Absolutely!  But, with Emmanuel, I decided to go another route.

Our dentist doesn't have flashy gadgets in her waiting room or TVs on her ceiling, but she does have over 25 years of experience in dentistry.  She is professional...and incredibly competent.  And, well, my dad taught her how to ride a bike.

As a matter of fact, her father was the pastor of the church that my parents worshipped at when they were a young married couple.  She has more stories about my father than I could have ever imagined.  So, you see, it's not really about the teeth...it is about the relationship.  It is about the connection.

He wasn't really feeling the dentist's instruments.

And, maybe, just maybe Emmanuel won't dread the dentist as much as I did growing up.  Maybe, just maybe, we could call it "Storytime with Dr. Jangdari."