**This post has been sponsored by myKIDSdds to bring you this experience.  All opinions are 100% our own!**

Deciding when and where to take your child for a dental exam can be tricky. A thousand questions race through your mind like “are they old enough?” “Is it necessary?” “What dentist can I trust?” “Dentists visits can be scary and is it worth the trauma?” and so on. I battled myself a bit on when to take in my 19 month old because I just didn’t know if it was an absolute necessity. We were doing all we could to teach her to brush her teeth and she was loving it. She let me scrub them and we moved on. That’s enough right? Not really! 

For starters, I was clueless on where to go because, to be quite honest, memories of my own childhood dental exams are not exactly happy ones. Having scary memories and resisting proper dental care is not something that I want for my baby. Fortunately for us, we were referred to myKIDSdds in Dallas for her very first dental exam with their team! I could not have been more thrilled with the way the appointment went. The entire staff was friendly and  inviting and the office definitely caters to children of all ages. Plus, it turned out to be wildly educational for me as a parent! 

As soon as we walked through the door, we were greeted by several members of the staff who immediately showed interest in my daughter. They showed her where the toys and books were, offered me coffee and helped me with the paperwork. I honestly was in awe of how much pediatric dentistry has changed over the years. The team at myKIDSdds knew exactly how to keep the environment calm and happy for the smaller kids. With this being the first dental exam for my daughter, I knew it was going to be a battle. I appreciated the fact that it didn’t feel like any sort of medical office when we walked through the door!

Our first visit experience was amazing, all my fears of trauma to my daughter flew out the window. If you are nervous about taking your toddler or baby to the dentist for their first exam, don’t be! Second, I’m going share with you some things you can expect at your first visit with a little walk through of our appointment!

What to expect at your first appointment with myKIDSdds:

To begin with, the team kept us informed the entire visit. For example, as we were walking back for the exam, a staff member talked to my daughter the whole time and explained to me the different areas of the office. They even have private rooms for the little ones! (Huge brownie points in my opinion, the sounds in a dental office can be a little frightening if you don’t know what is going on!)

The first visits are called “Lap Exams” for babies and toddlers! We were taken into a consultation room and we sat down with the dental hygienist. She went over my daughter’s background and medical history and explained the entire process. She gave me an opportunity to ask questions to relay to the dentist who would be doing the final exam. While we were talking, my kiddo was busy playing with all the toys that are in the consult rooms. Genius. It was amazing that we were able to actually discuss what was needed and to be expected before the exam because my toddler was distracted by toys!

Now it was time to prep for the cleaning.

• I was given a soft cushion that stretched from my lap to the hygienists lap so she could lay down in between us. The hygienist and I were knee to knee to create a little “table”.
• Your child will not understand what is happening so a little fussiness is totally normal. In fact, that is to be expected throughout the entire exam so don’t panic!
• Your child will lay down on their back on the cushion and their head is in the hygienist lap while their feet are in your lap.
• It is totally ok to talk to them and hold their hands. In fact, holding their hands down may be a necessity like it was for my child!

Next, the actual cleaning!

• My daughter was shown her toothbrush (which she got to keep) and the hygienist talked sweetly to her the entire time she brushed. (PERK- The toothpaste she used tasted like Vanilla Cupcake. Once she got a taste of that, she calmed down for the brushing!)
• Once the brushing was complete, the hygienist examined her mouth and spoke to me about different techniques I can use to ensure a good brushing is taking place every day. 
• She completely examined her mouth and then used a dental cleaning cloth to wipe off her teeth! Done! She got a little bag with a new toothbrush and a few other goodies!

I was surprised at how well my daughter did! Ultimately once the cleaning was over, she sat up and played with the toys again, unphased. The dental hygienist went over at-home care and nutrition that would help keep her teeth healthy and strong. Being a parent you want to do everything you can to keep your child healthy. For example, I thought I was choosing a somewhat healthy snack when I would give her fruit gummies as opposed to a cookie. Wrong! Did you know the ingredients in the gummy actually stick to the teeth much longer than chocolate. She told me that a piece of chocolate is much better than any type of gummy snack! 

After the cleaning, the Dentist came in. Just like everyone else, she was kind and spoke directly to my daughter. Dr. Villasenor let Maddy play while we talked about the questions I had in regards to proper dental care.

Make sure to ask questions! I learned so much and felt much more confident about my child’s dental health. Here are some questions I asked: 

• When does she get x-rays?
• How often is fluoride applied to her teeth?
• What type of toothpaste is safe at this age?
• What can I do to wean my daughter off her cup of milk at night?

Dr. Villasenor did a lap exam as well and basically just double-checked her teeth and gums. She did tell me that my daughter could potentially have an issue with a tongue tie but it could be fixed if needed. Guess what? That service is available at this office as well! I love a good one stop shop!

Once the Dr. did her part and answered all of my questions, we were done!

Needless to say, this visit exceeded my expectations. The professionalism and kindness shown towards me and my daughter was outstanding. It was obvious their goal is to make sure their patients are in a comforting environment and understand each step of the visit. 

Choosing myKIDSdds was a mom win, her first visit could not have gone better!

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