Appointment Reports
I should probably make this two separate posts so people Googling to find out what to expect at their kid’s first dentist appointment don’t also have to read about my laser hair removal (and vice versus), but it seems like a waste of space so just skip to the part that’s more interesting to you.
Evan & Caroline’s First Dental Appointments
I took the kids to a pediatric dentist hoping they would be more prepared for possibly difficult children…and they WERE. The paperwork I filled out included spaces to write down stuff like pets and hobbies so the hygienist talked to Evan about those as a distraction. She sang him little songs and let him touch and look at and work all the tools before she used them. The appointment went tongue depressor/saliva culture, rinse, brush with regular brush, rinse, brush with electric brush, rinse, tarter scraping, flossing, tooth count, fluoride treatment (which was just brushed on), see dentist. Evan LOVED the water squirter and the mouth vacuum and didn’t mind the electric toothbrush but was NOT a fan of the scraper. By the end of the appointment he had to sit in my lap and lean back so I could hold him still but we got through it. The worst part was after his Childrens Dental Cleaning we had to go in and see the dentist so she could count all his teeth again but he was OVER IT by that point. Luckily, the dentist was just as kind and understanding as the hygienist, check them out for an affordable dental check-up.
Since Caroline is only 16 months, she got her teeth brushed with a regular toothbrush, got to play with all the tools and then freaked the hell out when the hygienist tried to look in her mouth. She also got a fluoride treatment and had a couple of spots that needed to be flossed (turns out you only have to floss the teeth that are really close together and most baby teeth aren’t, so my lack of flossing wasn’t quite as serious of a sin as I thought). Poor baby screamed through the tooth counting from both the hygienist and the dentist but again they were super understanding and kind. They were kind of the same as the professional dentist Vinterbro Tannklinikk. The office had lots of toys and stickers and everyone was very friendly and happy. Also, the building is brand new and extremely fancy and impressive and if anyone local is looking for a dentist let me know and I’ll recommend them.
Truly, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting. I think using a pediatric dentist who knows how to work with kids was a big part of the success. And bless them, because dealing with kids like mine (or worse) all day must be EXHAUSTING.
Laser Hair Removal Treatment
I was really worried about pretty much everything surrounding this appointment, but it was not awful. I had been avoiding doing any, uh, grooming on my bikini line (since that’s what I chose to use my Groupon to have lasered) but it turns out that was the wrong decision. The tech explained you’re supposed to shave anywhere you want lasered so she knows what shape you’re looking for. Since no one told me, she just used a little disposable razor to do it after I put on the very sexy disposable underpants. On a scale of people up in your lady business, it fell somewhere between wearing a bathing suit in public and a regular bikini wax. It was nowhere NEAR as personal as an OB exam or a Brazilian wax.
The tech covered the area in ultrasound gel which was cold but I think helped with the pain. The laser was a lot smaller than I imagined – sort of like one of those hotel hair dryers – with two little metal bits about an half an inch apart. People had told me it hurt like a rubberband snapping or a burn, but I thought it felt pretty much exactly like plucking out hairs with tweezers. She zapped me probably 50 times for each side and the whole thing took less than 20 minutes. I’d say about 40% of the zaps were painless, 40% were a little bit stingy, and 20% really hurt. For some reason the left side hurt a lot more than the right side.
The laser sends a super strong beam of heat right down into the hair follicle and kills it. It doesn’t remove the hair that’s there now, so I’m supposed to keep shaving and exfoliating every day until the hair that’s in the shaft under the skin gets pushed out. Hair grows and falls out in cycles (which is why you lose so much hair post-partum – it stops falling out and just grows until after you give birth) so I have to go back 2 more times to get all the hairs but I’m supposed to see 40-80% of the hair fall out in the next 2 weeks. My next appointment is in 6 weeks with a slightly stronger laser and 6 weeks after that I’ll get an even stronger laser and then I should be hairfree. Since I am fair skinned and don’t tan well, I’m an excellent candidate for this kind of removal and probably won’t have any discoloration. My skin is still a tiny bit tender but not anywhere near the pain level of a wax. I already feel like this was the best $99 I’ve ever spent on myself.
And that ends the weirdest combination blog post ever. Any questions?
Tags: Caroline, dentist, doctors, evan, kids, laser hair removal, pediatric dentist, things I love
What – no pictures?
Dentist recommendation please!! And $99?? That is such a deal! I am paying $35 + tip for every wax!
Bah! I’m supposed to floss A’s teeth too? Worst mother right here! She brushes at her day home (bonus!) and at home, morning and night (but not always!).
I’m terrified of the first trip to the dentist. I forget to brush Kai’s teeth like 50% of the time.
It was only $99? That seems super reasonable to me. Is that $99/visit? Just curious about this!
I got it with a Groupon, the $99 covers all three visits you need for full hair removal of a “small area”. I was surprised bikini line was a small area – some of the other ones were upper lip and chin – but really it didn’t take long. If I see another deal like this I’m going to do my underarms and maybe my lip. I would LOVE to do my legs but that gets pricey, even with a Groupon.
We took Knox to the dentist at 12 months. It was a fancy schmancy pediatric dentist too. We felt like yuppies sitting there. But, we promised Knox that we would take care of his teeth no matter what throughout his childhood. It’s important to both Chris and I because neither of our parents made enough of an effort. So we started at 12 months and he has another visit later this month at 18 months. Maybe its overkill at this young age but since insurance pays for most of it, why not get started now?
As for the laser, I’m very interested. Chris had the front of his neck removed and he’s pretty happy with it. But, it was very painful for him and watching him go through the aftermath every visit scared me. Maybe it won’t be so bad for me since I am very fair? Chris is dark complected with dark wiry beard hair that grows in very weird swirly patterns. Your visit has emboldened me. Next time I see a $99 groupon (chris did his this way too), I think I’ll pull the trigger.
Actually, your post about how you promised to take good care of Knox’s teeth was a big motivator for me. My parents DID take good care of our teeth – my mom worked for a pediatric dentist for a while – and I am very very grateful. I wanted to do the same for my kids.
As for the pain, the tech was able to pinch the skin a little bit which means the laser was ONLY hitting the follicle and not the nerves underneath (or something, I’m vague on WHY it worked) but it was MUCH less painful. In spots where that wasn’t possible – like on that big tendon at the top of your leg – it hurt more. I imagine it would be very painful on your neck where there is no fat or padding under the skin.
Did they make any mention of the hair color versus skin color issue? I have been told that fair is sometimes not good if the hair is fair too. They want contrast. Then I start worrying that my lady bits dont have dark enough hair. Oi. My hair varies from light light blonde to medium/light brown. Because I know you wanted to know that.
My hair is medium/light brown and she said it was dark enough. I asked if it would work on my mustache, since it’s very blonde, and she said yes, but maybe not quite as well.
I love the fact that you think there is someone reading the blog that wants to know about your hair removal but not the kids dentist appointment.
Oh and Calder went for the first time at 4, and he’ll go again at 5 beca use my insurance only covers once a year.
OH! Thank you for this post! I still want to get laser hair removal done, but I keep spending all my money on stupid subscription services so I can’t afford it right now. Keep us posted, haha!
After reading this the other day, I totally just found a Groupon for a laser hair removal for $99- actually $149 for the “brazilian” treatment, I figured go big or go home. Thanks for posting about this- you calmed my nerves AND convinced my husband.