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First Visit to the Dentist

We've been telling the Beaner that when he goes to the dentist, he'll get a new toothbrush (because that's what happens when we go :-). He didn't seem particularly afraid to go—he was calmer about it than I was, actually—and whenever we mentioned it, he'd say, "and I'll get a new toothbrush?"

When we arrived at the dentist's office today, a little girl, age 2, came out of the exam room and made a beeline for me. "Look," she said, holding up a photograph of herself, "it's me! And I got a toofbrush, and a sticka wid Tyron[e]."

The Beaner immediately abandoned the toy he'd been playing with and came over. "Oh! I *will* get a toothbrush!" he said, eyes wide as he admired her Winnie the Pooh brush. "And maybe a sticker, and a photo, too," I said. He seemed overwhelmed at the prospect of this bounty.

He was called in a bit early, and the visit itself took no time at all. He has the 20 teeth he was expected to have (I was pretty sure they were all in there, but now and then I've had my doubts: we didn't go through anything that I could identify as "teething" or "his molars coming in", based on other parents' descriptions of such events), and he has no cavities (whew!). The dentist and hygienist also said we don't need to floss for him yet because his teeth are spaced well. Another thing both of them said: "Which one of you has the underbite?"

I said, "Not me. I think I had a slight overbite." Al also denied it. The hygienist asked if either of us had had braces; I raised my hand. Both the dentist and the hygienist remarked that underbites are usually hereditary, and the Beaner's got a doozy. It's something I noticed a long time ago, when his teeth first came in, but I guess I've gotten used to it over time. In any case, after the dentist asked us both to show our teeth, he identified Al as the source of the underbite. Apparently Al's teeth have shifted in such a way as to compensate for it, so it hasn't been a big deal. The dentist said the same thing could happen for the Beaner: His adult teeth could come in normal (unlikely, but possible), they could compensate the way Al's did (slightly more likely, but just), or they could come in just the way his baby teeth have.

In any case, we won't know until the Beaner's about 7 years old what the deal is, and orthodontia won't be on the table until around age 10-12. For now, we're just thrilled that his teeth are healthy, easy to clean, and have no cavities. And he's thrilled with his new toothbrush, yo-yo, and sticker.