The Growing Caldwell Family

 Charlie lost another tooth, but this was a little different! He mentioned that he had a tooth that was sore, but wasn't very wiggly. We sort of ignored it thinking the tooth was loosening and would become more wiggly. His complaints became a bit louder and I felt inside his mouth and realized the tooth was coming through his gums and definitely not a typically loose tooth.  I got an appointment to see the dentist the next day and Dr. Schwartz took one look and said we had to help the tooth out. The adult tooth was pushing the baby tooth out of the way and the root was coming through his gums. His mouth was numbed, the tooth came out, and Charlie was relieved to be on his way back to school!

 Just before school started it was time to take Sarah Graves for her invisalign. Her teeth are relatively straight and this should make them perfect!  Her biggest reason to want the invisalign over traditional braces was the ease of eating popcorn - one of her favorite foods! She sold me on the idea by pointing out these would look better in pictures! 

Some kids might have been really upset to go to the dentist as soon as they get home from vacation, but luckily they like Dr. Schwartz a lot! Charlie's teeth are looking good! He has lost one tooth (in June) and should have another wiggly tooth very soon! Her teeth look great! In the next year she should be in a phase where she will lose teeth quickly! Look out tooth fairy! The marble runs are their very favorite part!

With our vacation over, it was time to get focused on back to school! Getting the kids check-ups was part of that. They like their dentist, Dr. Schwartz, and don't mind going at all. I am so grateful for that! I hated the dentist as a kid and I'm glad they don't feel that way.  Dr. Schwartz gave them a clean bill of health. No cavities and nothing to worry about right now.  Charlie will probably have a wiggly tooth sometime soon, but nothing to worry about that he hasn't had any yet.  SG continues to lose teeth and for now there is nothing that she needs to do different. Then, it was off to the pediatrician for well-checks. Charlie weighed in at 47 pounds (62nd percentile) and was 45.5 inches tall (56th percentile). He grew three inches this year! He had a clean bill of health! For a moment the doctor thought he might have a concern with blood sugar, but it turns out he ate a good many cookies before the appointment! Charlie finished his Hep A and...

I took the kids for a dental check up and they both have great looking teeth! They like their dentist and both do really well while there! I wish I had taken pictures of them afterward when we went to lunch. We had a delightful time together and I so enjoyed being there with them. We talked about the meanings of different names and they think it's hilarious that Aaron means brother of Moses. I totally don't see why that's funny, but love the giggles it brought!

Those wobbly teeth had to come out.  We focused on the Tooth Fairy as the cool part and read some books that really helped.  The best one was called Tooth Fairy and it takes a brother and sister through their journey as they meet the Tooth Fairy and go to her tooth palace.  SG was concerned about how the Tooth Fairy would get in and I guess my description went on too long because she said, "I'm not worried anymore.  Just read the book." We also talked some about what would  happen at the dentist.  How the laughing gas would feel, the dentist putting his hand in her mouth, opening wide, and wiggling the tooth out.  I skipped the numbing injection since I feared that would cause more anxiety. She did awesome!  She listened, she stayed relaxed, and she didn't complain until we got to the car.  The gauze "band-aid" they gave her was driving her crazy. She took a great nap when we got home and really wasn't too uncomfortable.  We ...

Today I took Sarah Graves for her first visit to the dentist. I picked a pediadontist mostly because I have such fond memories of my childhood dentist, Dr. Ellard, and his gentle way of doing things. This dentist is close to us and came and spoke to her class at school. The staff was very friendly and spent a long time discussing good oral hygiene habits with us. A diet low in sugar was high on the list, but they were pretty understanding when I explained that was a goal I had for her too but she has other ideas. She was a little nervous when it was time for him to look at her teeth. We read about the Berenstain bears going to the dentist so that was an example for her. She didn't even have to get in the chair, she sat in my lap and leaned back on his knees for him to look in her mouth. He checked all of her teeth and she really didn't resist. He said that overall her teeth look good, but we should start flossing the front ones. He said the paci isn't interfering...