Doctors & Dentists
Sitting at work a few weeks ago, one of my co-workers mentioned that she needed to take her tween to the dentist because some of her baby teeth had never grown in, and no one had noticed. That same week, the little boy on my soap opera developed eye cancer and had to have his eye removed. So, I started to wonder at what age I would need to bring Arianna to get these things checked. I googled.
Well, according to the American Optometric Association children should have their first eye examination around 6 months of age. They check for things like: lazy eye, cross eyes, eye movement, focusing, hand-eye coordination, tumors, etc. This visit is so important, in fact, there is a national public health program called InfantSEE that provides free eye exams to infants 6-12 months of age. Of course, only certain providers participate in this program, but from what I can see they do have some excellent doctors on the provider list. My eye doctor participates in the program, so I made an appointment with Arianna to see her.
I took Arianna to her eye doctor appointment a few days after she turned 9 months old. The examination was easy. The doctor shone some lights into her eyes, did some tracking exercises, and sang. Arianna enjoyed herself as well, she even kept trying to kiss the doctor's tracking doll. Everything was good - no tumors, no problems, no worries. She told me some things to look for that would signify a problem, and told me to come back when Arianna was 2. Arianna did her Miss America wave to everyone in the doctor's office, and we went home. Whew! Sigh of relief.
Now onto the teeth...
Once again, I googled for information and found out that the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that infants see a dentist when the first tooth appears, or no later then the baby's first birthday. Finding a pediatric dentist for Arianna was a breeze. I asked both her pediatrician and my dentist for recommendations and they both told me the same dentist. And he's listed as one of the top dentists in NJ by New Jersey Monthly magazine. Perfect.
So yesterday, I took Arianna to her dentist appointment. The office was adorable - wall murals, a "Pooh Corner", a fish tank, games, books, etc. All of the nurses were super friendly and all of the dentists in the practice came to see my "beautiful baby". They took a picture of Arianna for her records, and gave me a copy on a magnet, as well as a dental goodie bag. The doctor was super relaxed, friendly, and young. He was very direct and kind, and it felt more like we were just hanging out then having an appointment - which I think was a great start to Arianna's dental experiences. He checked her teeth and gums. Hooray! All of her teeth are growing it exactly like they should, she's right on schedule, and has no signs of cavities (which start off as white spots on the gums over a tooth.) He warned me about the pain she may undergo when her first molars come in around a year old, and offered me brushing instructions. He told me all about how to care for her teeth - and when to call him - if she falls and hits her mouth, and warned that her mouth may bleed a lot if she hits the nerve in between her front teeth. (He also told me that her nerve is a little wider then most, and it might prevent her permanent teeth from closing, so she might need a quick laser surgery to zap the nerve followed by braces when she's older. Can you believe that? At 10 months, they can predict that? Crazy.)
I found out a lot of interesting facts while we were there actually. Like toddler toothpaste is mostly just flavor so its completely unnecessary, and milk inhibits the body from absorbing fluoride so vitamins should be given at least 30-60 minutes before milk. Anyway, the visit ended, and I breathed yet another sigh of relief. I love knowing that everything is exactly as it should be. And as long as she doesn't fall and hurt those chompers, Arianna's next dental visit will be a year from now.
I'm sure that some people think I'm crazy for dragging her to the eye doctor and dentist when she's so young. But I think its important to practice preventive care and to catch anything abnormal early on. And I want Ari to know that these are an important part of caring for her health and that they are normal occurrences, not scary experiences. So far, so good.
Well, according to the American Optometric Association children should have their first eye examination around 6 months of age. They check for things like: lazy eye, cross eyes, eye movement, focusing, hand-eye coordination, tumors, etc. This visit is so important, in fact, there is a national public health program called InfantSEE that provides free eye exams to infants 6-12 months of age. Of course, only certain providers participate in this program, but from what I can see they do have some excellent doctors on the provider list. My eye doctor participates in the program, so I made an appointment with Arianna to see her.
I took Arianna to her eye doctor appointment a few days after she turned 9 months old. The examination was easy. The doctor shone some lights into her eyes, did some tracking exercises, and sang. Arianna enjoyed herself as well, she even kept trying to kiss the doctor's tracking doll. Everything was good - no tumors, no problems, no worries. She told me some things to look for that would signify a problem, and told me to come back when Arianna was 2. Arianna did her Miss America wave to everyone in the doctor's office, and we went home. Whew! Sigh of relief.
Now onto the teeth...
Once again, I googled for information and found out that the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that infants see a dentist when the first tooth appears, or no later then the baby's first birthday. Finding a pediatric dentist for Arianna was a breeze. I asked both her pediatrician and my dentist for recommendations and they both told me the same dentist. And he's listed as one of the top dentists in NJ by New Jersey Monthly magazine. Perfect.
So yesterday, I took Arianna to her dentist appointment. The office was adorable - wall murals, a "Pooh Corner", a fish tank, games, books, etc. All of the nurses were super friendly and all of the dentists in the practice came to see my "beautiful baby". They took a picture of Arianna for her records, and gave me a copy on a magnet, as well as a dental goodie bag. The doctor was super relaxed, friendly, and young. He was very direct and kind, and it felt more like we were just hanging out then having an appointment - which I think was a great start to Arianna's dental experiences. He checked her teeth and gums. Hooray! All of her teeth are growing it exactly like they should, she's right on schedule, and has no signs of cavities (which start off as white spots on the gums over a tooth.) He warned me about the pain she may undergo when her first molars come in around a year old, and offered me brushing instructions. He told me all about how to care for her teeth - and when to call him - if she falls and hits her mouth, and warned that her mouth may bleed a lot if she hits the nerve in between her front teeth. (He also told me that her nerve is a little wider then most, and it might prevent her permanent teeth from closing, so she might need a quick laser surgery to zap the nerve followed by braces when she's older. Can you believe that? At 10 months, they can predict that? Crazy.)
I found out a lot of interesting facts while we were there actually. Like toddler toothpaste is mostly just flavor so its completely unnecessary, and milk inhibits the body from absorbing fluoride so vitamins should be given at least 30-60 minutes before milk. Anyway, the visit ended, and I breathed yet another sigh of relief. I love knowing that everything is exactly as it should be. And as long as she doesn't fall and hurt those chompers, Arianna's next dental visit will be a year from now.
I'm sure that some people think I'm crazy for dragging her to the eye doctor and dentist when she's so young. But I think its important to practice preventive care and to catch anything abnormal early on. And I want Ari to know that these are an important part of caring for her health and that they are normal occurrences, not scary experiences. So far, so good.
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