Our Zoe turned three a little while ago and today was a big day: Her first dental appointment.

I know, I know, some experts say you should take a baby no later than her first birthday. So maybe we’re derelict parents. But she brushes (almost) every night, and despite our fears her teeth would grow crooked because of her chronic finger-sucking, they’ve turned out just fine.

I gulped when I saw my girl on the dentist chair. She looked so little! Mary Jo the dental hygienist whipped out a tooth-shaped mirror for Zoe to hold so she could see as Mary Jo poked around with the “tooth counter” - yep, 18, 19, 20. And to protect her eyes from “Mr. Sunshine” overhead, Zoe got a pair of pink sunglasses with a glittery heart on the edge.

I couldn’t help thinking back to my childhood dental encounters. The school nurse would show up in the middle of lessons, consult her file, and the unfortunate child whose turn it was would be marched off to the school’s dental office. Anesthesia? You’ve got to be kidding. Parental notification? Hah! It was a public school in a developing country and funding was scarce.

Zoe had fun. The only time she got a little scared was when the tooth polisher came out so Mary Jo used a toothbrush instead. Three minutes more with Dr. Kratz and it was all over. It was a breeze. Really, the most uncomfortable moment during the entire exam was probably when Dr. Kratz asked me about the recent appearance of the Star Tribune’s publisher in the news…

And no, they don’t give out candy anymore. But Zoe did get to choose a little game from the “treasure chest” before she left.Â

This entry was posted on Monday, April 16th, 2007 at 3:39 pm and is filed under Main. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.