Siena just had her first dentist appointment, and she was a champ! She did better than I expected because she didn’t freak out when the doctor started up the polisher. Normally, whirring noises like that (vacuum cleaner, table saw, coffee grinder, chipper) cause her to cover her hears, hide behind someone’s legs, or run away crying. Mama would have to give the full report since she was next to Siena and I was behind her sitting with Thalia, but she just opened up and let the dentist polish her right up. I didn’t see any crying or resistance. She opened her mouth every time, and let the dentist count her teeth while pressing on them check for cavities (20 cavity-free teeth!), polish them with the whirring machine, rinse out her mouth with water and the vacuum (I was worried about that part, too), apply fluoride with a q-tip, and finally floss a few of her teeth.

All in all a really good experience, and Siena also got a plastic ring, a sticker, a lollipop, and something else (she called it a toy bag), for her troubles. I think she has a knack for taking advantage of people willing to offer her rewards for events like this. She took that dental assistant and her box of goodies to the cleaners while mama and I listened to the dentist chide us somewhat for depriving her of business by not bringing Siena when she was younger (well, it wasn’t really like that of course).