The beauty of adopting a child when he or she already has siblings at home, is that your new child can look to the others for reassurance in an unfamiliar and possibly frightening situation.



Today was Caleb's first trip to the dentist. We prepared him by showing him photos of people in the dentist's chair, and reading him a couple of picture books about going to the dentist. Although we already had the books listed below, they are ones that should be readily available at your public library. Even though Caleb's English comprehension is not 100% after only 2 1/2 months, having the pictures to look at in the books really helped.

We've actually been preparing Caleb for the dentist since his adoption date, by encouraging him to brush a bit longer each day, teaching him how to floss, and showing him how to brush correctly. At first, it was clear his teeth had not seen much action from a toothbrush because his gums bled like crazy when he even brushed for more than a few seconds. We let him get used to brushing for well over a month before we introduced flossing, because we didn't want him to associate mouth care with pain.

Since he had no visible cavities or toothaches, we also thought it best to wait until he had been home a few months before we took him to the dentist. While it is important to get your child to the doctor soon after arriving from a different country in order to check for illnesses and possible parasites, the dentist doesn't have the same sense of urgency.

Caleb was still a bit fearful about going today even after all of our preparation, and told me "Ouch, Mama! Dentist ouch me!" This is when the experience of his siblings helped immensely. Micheline told him that the dentist doesn't hurt at all. "He just counts your teeth and tickles them with a little polisher", she said. Ben told him if he was good, he would get some fun prizes. In my mind, they are junky little toys, but in the eyes of a child, they are treasured gifts!

Of course I could tell him that the dentist wouldn't hurt him and that he could get something fun at the end, but hearing it from Mom just isn't as reassuring as hearing it from another child...especially ones who are younger than you.

Caleb put on a brave smile and off we went. He was able to watch his siblings get their teeth cleaned to reassure him that nothing would be painful or frightening. When it was his turn, he happily hopped in the chair. After 11 years without a single dental visit, he had quite a bit more tartar built up than the other kids so his appointment took longer than theirs.
He also has a very strong gag reflex, so his bitewing x-rays were not successful. They did get a Panorex however, and he was quite fascinated that those were really his teeth he could see on the x-ray film.



He even enjoyed the flouride treatment that my other children have always complained about. He mimed painting on the flouride to me and said, "Yummy, Mama. Banana!" He also got a junky toy treasured surprise...a Balsa wood airplane that will probably be broken by tomorrow.

Had we not prepared him adequately, his first dental visit might have been a very different experience. Thanks to photos, books, easing gently into brushing and flossing, and most of all, siblings who were willing to share their experience, Caleb can now look back on his first trip to the dentist as an enjoyable experience.

Tools that can help prepare a child for the dentist:

The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist

Going to the Dentist (Mr. Rogers)

Article on Going to the Dentist