making the dentist fun

Ethan loves the dentist. I mean, that's not to say he didn't scream bloody murder until his cleaning was over, but after that he decided he loved the dentist. Lately he's been trying to decide if he wants to be a dentist or a chef when he grows up -- or both! I try to watch what I say in front of him because ultimately my reactions to things will become his. That's a lot of pressure. I had an appointment today to have three fillings done. Well, two old fillings re-filled and one new filling. I was pretty terrified. I didn't have a good experience with the dentist my family had been using for the last few years and it sort of ruined any shreds of hope I had towards a positive experience at the dentist but I trudged on with a smile. I dropped Ethan off at my parent's house before my appointment and on the way there, we talked about how much fun the dentist was and how excited I was to be going. "The dentist is so much fun," he declared as we rang my mom's doorbell.

I had found a new dentist last week and though I don't know him very well yet, I quickly realized I hit the dentist jackpot. I mean, as he numbed my mouth he talked about minivans and Zach Braff and our shared love for Garden State so I sort of relaxed and realized my teeth were in good hands now. Anyone who cherishes the Garden State soundtrack as much as I do is okay in my book. (Sidenote: South Floridians, I highly recommend Dr. Adam Barbag - 954-345-2264. He will undo any built-up dental trauma in ten minutes. My teeth felt better in an hour than they have in years!)

Anyway, I came home from the dentist, still a little numb but actually having had a good experience. "Was the dentist fun, mommy?" Well, fun may be pushing it -- but it was nice to be able to tell Ethan how much better the dentist made my teeth feel.

To encourage the association of positivity with the dentist and help quench Ethan's love for all things dentistry, I set up some dental activities for him upon my return to get him.

Playdough Flossing - stick some playdough in between the wedges of a block and let your little one floss it out. Ethan is really into flossing these days, so he had fun with this.

Teeth Whitening - Anyone else remember this one from elementary school? You submerge an egg into some soda for at least a half hour and then pull it out. It turns yellowish brown. I gave Ethan a toothbrush and let him go to work brushing the egg. Next time I'll hardboil it, because most of this activity was making sure the egg didn't squish all over Grandma's table.

Teeth Sorting - We did this one in tot school back when Ethan was a baby! Using some tweezers for fine motor practice, he got to put the teeth in the mouth. He was way more interested in flossing the teeth, however.

Who knows, maybe Ethan will be a Dentist Chef when he grows up, after all.