I called Dr. Miller, DDS, since the dentist office is right down the street from us on Roseville Road. It's a father & son practice, specializing in pediatric dentistry with a cowboy theme. We entered through the 'saloon doors' past the 'outhouse' and straight to the check-in area.
All the decor and signs were really cute!
I was impressed with the waiting room, equipped with lots of toys and things to look at, including this slide, a fishy display and an actual nasty-looking, dragon-like 'pet'.
Yes, this thing was real and moved around quite a bit in that aquarium!
First, I must say the dentist himself was a nutcase (I saw the father - next time I will ask for the son, which is who my pediatrician recommended we see). Literally crazy...with two bolts loose or missing, I think. He looked and spoke just like Jon Lovitz (if you don't know who that is, I'm sure you'd recognize his face if you did a google search on him). Here's a picture of the dentist we saw in his consultation room from his website. The guy was ranting and raving in a high-pitched voice the entire time we were there, from telling the receptionist to clear her desk of all papers to giggling at our boys' last names being "Good" since their first names are of the two 'Good' spies.
After meeting him in this 'consultation' room...he, flapping his arms like a fairy, told me to 'bring my things' as we were moving to the exam area. 
The chair in the picture below is where I sat, holding Caleb. The doctor did seem to like kids, and he assured me that all babies scream. I knowingly said "Oh, he's a pretty easygoing little guy...I doubt he'll..." Just then, Caleb let loose as the doctor was looking at his teeth, louder than I've ever heard before. He dropped his toy, but the dentist then gave him something new that was loud & fun to look at (and commented on how good his motor skills are for his age and how strong his legs seemed), and my little Caleb Luke became calm once again. The dentist told me to find another seat (in his loud, very strange voice) while he babbled to himself, taking notes and fluttering around like a princess. I began asking questions and he said "I'll get to you..."
Pretty soon, he was done with his ranting and raving and started talking to me, but still in the same tone and same style. He explained that why Caleb screamed is because he was trying to break his tooth with his finger. If the tooth would have fractured up to the nerve, we would have known that this split came from a break or fall. He said it's rare for kids at his age to break teeth. Typically that happens between 2 and 4 years of age, where children aren't coordinated enough to break their fall by breaking their wrists (UGH!). So, he said that this is a congenital malformation of the tooth... the very words made me cringe since Joshua's CCAM was a Congenital (CA) Malformation of the lung (which means it happened in the womb). When I picked up Shawn & the Bean afterward, Daddy said "better his teeth than his lungs!"
Yes, this thing was real and moved around quite a bit in that aquarium!First, I must say the dentist himself was a nutcase (I saw the father - next time I will ask for the son, which is who my pediatrician recommended we see). Literally crazy...with two bolts loose or missing, I think. He looked and spoke just like Jon Lovitz (if you don't know who that is, I'm sure you'd recognize his face if you did a google search on him). Here's a picture of the dentist we saw in his consultation room from his website. The guy was ranting and raving in a high-pitched voice the entire time we were there, from telling the receptionist to clear her desk of all papers to giggling at our boys' last names being "Good" since their first names are of the two 'Good' spies.After meeting him in this 'consultation' room...he, flapping his arms like a fairy, told me to 'bring my things' as we were moving to the exam area. The chair in the picture below is where I sat, holding Caleb. The doctor did seem to like kids, and he assured me that all babies scream. I knowingly said "Oh, he's a pretty easygoing little guy...I doubt he'll..." Just then, Caleb let loose as the doctor was looking at his teeth, louder than I've ever heard before. He dropped his toy, but the dentist then gave him something new that was loud & fun to look at (and commented on how good his motor skills are for his age and how strong his legs seemed), and my little Caleb Luke became calm once again. The dentist told me to find another seat (in his loud, very strange voice) while he babbled to himself, taking notes and fluttering around like a princess. I began asking questions and he said "I'll get to you..."Pretty soon, he was done with his ranting and raving and started talking to me, but still in the same tone and same style. He explained that why Caleb screamed is because he was trying to break his tooth with his finger. If the tooth would have fractured up to the nerve, we would have known that this split came from a break or fall. He said it's rare for kids at his age to break teeth. Typically that happens between 2 and 4 years of age, where children aren't coordinated enough to break their fall by breaking their wrists (UGH!). So, he said that this is a congenital malformation of the tooth... the very words made me cringe since Joshua's CCAM was a Congenital (CA) Malformation of the lung (which means it happened in the womb). When I picked up Shawn & the Bean afterward, Daddy said "better his teeth than his lungs!" The dentist isn't sure if this is one tooth with two heads growing on it or two teeth that have merged together into one. He said we wouldn't know for sure until all the teeth are in, and there's no harm to Caleb. So, he doesn't want to see him again until he's three years old, unless we find other problems before then. When Caleb does go back at three, though, he said "only me or my son can see him - he will not be touched by a dental hygenist." (He was a fruitcake...did I mention that?)
This is a baby tooth, but the dentist said that our baby teeth are what shape our permanent teeth, so it could be a problem later but doesn't have to be. We won't know until he can x-ray, which he can't do until Caleb's three since the permanent teeth aren't formed yet. He then fluttered around giving me more information that my pediatrician already told me, and he said that he's been educating all the pediatricians in this area so that kids don't have to come to him until they're three...the pediatricians should give advice on avoiding too much flouride (since it can discolor teeth and leave spots), not allowing babies to fall asleep while breastfeeding or at the bottle, etc. (He then proceeded to tell me that both his children were breastfed, too, and that his son is now 31 and he still calls him "honey" as he shouted across the room to the other dentist there, who looked much more professional...). One piece of helpful information was that all kids should have an electric toothbrush because it does a better job and is more fun. He said get one of those and hold your kids on the toilet as you ask them to put their head back and lean into you so you can really scrub. And he said to forget flossing at this age. A good brush of the teeth at night and allowing them to brush their own teeth in the morning is a good start. I wish, though, you could have heard his tone of voice and pitch and gestures, etc. It was truly an experience!
Thankfully, Caleb is really easygoing, and I doubt he'll remember this trip at all. The dentist, for as nuts as he appeared, seemed to really, really like kids and told me to "take lots of pictures" and get them framed and make collages. He said "while you have two little ones and you're tired and you wish you could get 20 minutes to yourself, enjoy this time! I still love the pictures of my kids with their bellies sticking out and the toothbrushes in their mouths..." He went on and on, and he talked incessantly about his own children. When I had asked him, "Is Caleb in any pain from this tooth?" his response was "Of course! And every other one! He's teething, after all. Give him something cold to chew on and some baby orajel. It feels so good to chew on those cold teething rings!" He seemed to really like and understand babies. So, it wasn't that it was bad or he wasn't helpful...it was just weird. Really weird. But, the good news is that after $50, we found that Caleb is just fine and doesn't need to go back until the normal age of 3 unless there are any other issues. Praise God!
This is a baby tooth, but the dentist said that our baby teeth are what shape our permanent teeth, so it could be a problem later but doesn't have to be. We won't know until he can x-ray, which he can't do until Caleb's three since the permanent teeth aren't formed yet. He then fluttered around giving me more information that my pediatrician already told me, and he said that he's been educating all the pediatricians in this area so that kids don't have to come to him until they're three...the pediatricians should give advice on avoiding too much flouride (since it can discolor teeth and leave spots), not allowing babies to fall asleep while breastfeeding or at the bottle, etc. (He then proceeded to tell me that both his children were breastfed, too, and that his son is now 31 and he still calls him "honey" as he shouted across the room to the other dentist there, who looked much more professional...). One piece of helpful information was that all kids should have an electric toothbrush because it does a better job and is more fun. He said get one of those and hold your kids on the toilet as you ask them to put their head back and lean into you so you can really scrub. And he said to forget flossing at this age. A good brush of the teeth at night and allowing them to brush their own teeth in the morning is a good start. I wish, though, you could have heard his tone of voice and pitch and gestures, etc. It was truly an experience!Thankfully, Caleb is really easygoing, and I doubt he'll remember this trip at all. The dentist, for as nuts as he appeared, seemed to really, really like kids and told me to "take lots of pictures" and get them framed and make collages. He said "while you have two little ones and you're tired and you wish you could get 20 minutes to yourself, enjoy this time! I still love the pictures of my kids with their bellies sticking out and the toothbrushes in their mouths..." He went on and on, and he talked incessantly about his own children. When I had asked him, "Is Caleb in any pain from this tooth?" his response was "Of course! And every other one! He's teething, after all. Give him something cold to chew on and some baby orajel. It feels so good to chew on those cold teething rings!" He seemed to really like and understand babies. So, it wasn't that it was bad or he wasn't helpful...it was just weird. Really weird. But, the good news is that after $50, we found that Caleb is just fine and doesn't need to go back until the normal age of 3 unless there are any other issues. Praise God!
1 comment:
LOL...I LOVE DR MILLER...LOL...I went there as a child and both Robby and Hannah go there now...and EVERY trip in he says to me...I KNOW YOU..OHHHHH I know you..and it takes him about 15 mins and he gets it..Jeanne GRUB..LOL...and then he says and your father JUST died..and I remind him that Im not ten anymore that its been 20 years since that happened...He is awesome Val..OVERWHELMING..but awesome...
Jeanne
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