My Visit to the Dentist.
You know that Jolly Old Santa loves cookies. I definitely love trying all the different cookies and treats that you leave me when I visit. I can’t pass up a delicious snack. That’s why I visit my dentist at least once a year. I go to have my teeth cleaned and checked to make sure my teeth and gums are healthy. Some people think the dentist office is a scary place, but I enjoy seeing Dr. John, Sandy, and Bonnie. It gives me time for catching up with them and their families. After all, they’re asleep when I visit their homes on Christmas Eve.
I LOVE sweets and that’s why I make a special effort to take care of my teeth. I brush my teeth every morning and night and sometimes right after lunch. It helps keep away the germs that can make holes (cavities) in my teeth and makes my breath smell good! I didn’t always do that when I was little and I got a LOT of cavities. Here’s an x-ray of my mouth with the fillings that I’ve had. The bright white spots in the picture are fillings. How many can you count? There’s way too many! Did you know that since I’ve been better at brushing and flossing my teeth I haven’t had a single cavity!
The equipment looks kinda scary, but it’s not. There’s a bright light to shine in my mouth so Bonnie can see what’s going on in there and clean my teeth. She uses special tools to clean between my teeth and they kinda tickle while she’s doing that. Then she uses an electric toothbrush to polish my teeth. I like the bubble gum flavor toothpaste that she uses.
When Bonnie finishes polishing my teeth I get to rins
e out my mouth with a little cup of water. I spit the water into a bowl next to my chair. Bonnie even lets me fill the cup with the little switch that turns on the water. Sometimes she uses a special water squirter to give my teeth a rinse. Once Dr. John even squirted me in the mouth from two feet away! Sometimes I get pictures of my teeth like the one above. It helps the dentist to see that my teeth and the bones around them are healthy on the inside. It doesn’t hurt at all! All you have to do is sit still while they take the picture.
When my teeth are all clean, Dr. John looks over my x-rays and checks my teeth for any signs of cavities. He uses a small metal tool to hold my lips away from my teeth so he can get a good look. Sometimes he scrapes a little on my teeth to check to make sure they are solid. Like I said before, I haven’t had a cavity in a long time… and today is no different!
He says I need to keep up the good work brushing and flossing my teeth. Then he gives me a brand new toothbrush, a small tube of toothpaste and dental floss to help me get started! He also reminds me that I need to be careful and not eat too many sweets, especially the sticky kind. I promise I will but he knows that Mrs. Claus will have some cookies waiting for me when I get home. But I’ll be brushing my teeth again tonight!
Watch elmo and friends Brush their teeth.