First Dentist Trip and Bike Ride

I'm having a little trouble getting out of vacation mode here. I'm actually still working on the NH post, I'm at a loss about why it is taking me so long to finish, except that I brought a really good stack of books to read, and didn't get close to finishing them on vacation, so I've been working on them since returning (on top of work, cleaning, life, etc.). In the meantime, we've had a couple of events this week.

The most notable is Gregory went for his first ever dentist appointment. Gregory does not like to brush his teeth, and the activity often turns into a tag teem wrestling match (parent and toothbrush versus Gregory and plaque). He has a visible layer of plaque on his bottom teeth which I always figured was due to said toothbrushing aversion. Anyway, I thought there was no way he would sit and allow a dentist to clean his teeth, but I just couldn't look at his little teeth without feeling like a neglectful mother, so I asked around for the name of a good pediatric dentist in our area. Several people recommended Dr. Gallagher in Worcester, and back in June, I made back to back appointments for Gregory and Rebecca. The soonest available on a Monday was August 24th, so Greg took them in this past Monday.

Greg said Dr. Gallagher was unbelievably good with the kids. They put them in side by side chairs, which worked well because Rebecca LOVES the dentist. Her attitude must have rubbed off on Gregory because the boy did great and let them examine and clean his teeth as much as they wanted. The end result? Rebecca has great teeth, barely any plaque, and they don't foresee any dental problems in her future. Gregory? A bit of a different story. According to the dentist, the plaque on his bottom teeth is the result of his being "a mouth breather". I don't understand why, something about the build up of calcium and other things caused by breathing though the mouth, and that all the brushing in the world wouldn't help (I still plan to continue our toothbrush torture tradition every night - must be my sadistic side). Still, they cleaned him up, and then informed Greg that Gregory has a pretty severe under bite (his lower jaw is longer than his upper, causing his bottom teeth to rest in front of his front teeth). There is always a chance he will outgrow it, but they foresee braces and possibly surgery in his future. Not much we can do now, which is good because we won't be able to start his orthodontist fund until we finish paying for his day care, but I digress. In the meantime, the under bite is probably what causes his lower lip to protrude slightly, giving him his adorable pout. I guess I will just enjoy that while he still has it, especially since it will probably cost me upward of $10,000 worth of orthodontist bills in ten years.

For fun I took the kids on the Rail Trail Friday morning for a bike ride. Rebecca did great, probably the most biking I've ever seen her do. Gregory tried with his tricycle, but it's just too difficult to pedal on the dirt trail, so we ended up ditching it (translation, I carried him most of the way). Next time, I will bring the stroller.