new dentist

i mentioned that i took the boys to the dentist last week (when madelyn was sick) but i didn't take any pictures and forgot to mention the results in a post so here is one after madelyn's rescheduled appointment this morning. i took a picture of all the new patient names on the wall.  all of the staff were dressed up as "things" with red numbered shirts and blue fuzzy wigs and the dentist was the cat in the hat (he just wore the hat) since it was halloween.

the boys both did great during their appointments.  they went back by themselves but the dentist seemed pretty impressed that both boys, especially maddux, would let them complete a cleaning.  i felt like the 'bad mommy' because i couldn't remember if this was maddux' first appointment or not.  i was even trying to look it up on the blog in the parking lot but ran out of time and had to just go in.  in my defense, their last trip to the dentist was the day before we moved into the house and i had a lot going on.  he went to the office with me too, i just can't remember if he went back for a cleaning or just to watch.  anyway, he did great today.  they both had excellent reports on their brushing and there are no signs of cavities.  we talked a little about mason's thumb sucking and the dentist thinks that we are on the right track (he will pull it out willingly if we catch him with it during the day) and isn't really worried about it at this point.

we also talked about madelyn's thumb sucking.  she doesn't suck her thumb regularly, but i have caught her with a soggy thumb when she gets in trouble and has to go to her room or when she isn't feeling well.  we never see her suck it any more.  her thumb sucking isn't a huge concern either, but as a result of the thumb sucking, she has a tongue thrust that is of concern.  basically, when she swallows, she pushes her tongue on her teeth instead of on the roof of her mouth.  since you swallow a lot throughout the day, that will push her teeth out over time.  it is more of a cosmetic concern than a functional one, although he did mention that it could affect her ability to bite into things if it gets too bad. 

at this point, it is just something he is going to keep an eye on and will possibly address when she is 100% past her thumb phase.  he said that it would be a problem should she get braces because the braces' wires would hold her teeth in place but the tongue thrust would undo everything as soon as they came off.

i always thought that mason had more of a 'thumb sucker' bite, but madelyn's is pretty out there too.  i will not obsess, i will not obsess, i will not obsess...  love.