Something New

"Something New" was another prompt from the August Photo Challenge that I've been sort of participating in. We've had some "new" things happen--good and bad.

Yesterday, I took Eric to the dentist to have his first cavity filled--located in back of his two upper front teeth. The dentist first picked it up on his routine visit in June. He rechecked it a week ago to see if it was an actual cavity. Apparently it's teeny tiny but at this age, cavities can get very big very fast and it would be easier to treat now than to take the chance of it getting really big.

They have a TV in the exam room at the dentist's office. At first I was a little worried because we couldn't find anything that Eric wanted to watch (they only had basic cable). I brought the iPad just in case but I would have to hold it up in front of his face which wasn't an ideal situation. Luckily, he settled for Looney Tunes after he started watching it.

As soon as the dentist reclined the chair and pulled Eric up to the top, Eric simply opened his mouth without a word. The whole thing probably only took 5 minutes. He only had to "drill" a little, so little that Eric probably only felt some vibration, which he tolerated very well. The "hardest" part was curing the putty with a lighted wand (only because it took a little time) and the cotton that they stuck between Eric's lip and gum. That must have bothered him a little, because he moved his lip a little until the cotton was almost out. At the end of the procedure, the light was shining in Eric's eyes, but all he did was squint. He didn't make a peep at all. What a good boy!

On her routine visit to the dentist in June, the dentist told me that Natalie should see the orthodontist because her bottom incisors overlapped the top ones and could cause some premature wear on those teeth. Our appointment was today. They started out reminiscing about when Anthony was a patient there and how long it had been (March 2009).

Dr. B examined Natalie's teeth and said that he would normally recommend waiting but since this was an issue of an incorrect bite pattern that was easily fixable, he recommended treatment right away. We made an appointment for Monday to have molds made of her teeth. She will have a bite plate over her bottom teeth that she is supposed to wear all the time, even during eating. On Friday she will have braces put on her top teeth and he expected her to only need them for about six months and she probably won't need anything else at all. All of that for over $2K. Let's just say that Anthony has beautiful teeth, and I want the same for Natalie.

Natalie seemed a little concerned about having braces, because she was afraid it would hurt. Anthony will be invaluable resource for her and she's lucky that he's already gone through it. She did get excited when she heard that she could have a red bite plate and red bands for her braces. That's my red-loving girl!

So, the news wasn't all bad, and both kids did well. Today we also went to get some new sneakers for Natalie and Alex. Payless is having their "Buy One Get 1/2 Off" sale" again. Eric fell in love with these "Crocs". After returning home, he put them on and didn't take them off until bedtime. He wore them around the house and when Patrick got home from taking Anthony to his high school orientation/prep thing, Eric had to show him his new shoes AND the box that they came in. Let's just say that he was just a little excited.

In other news, Anthony got his class schedule for the new year today. There's a conflict in scheduling his soccer class and Calculus BC class. Hopefully that will get sorted out by next week. We also went out to eat at Chili's with my parents on their last night here. We had a coupons for free kids' meals and a free appetizer. Saving money is always good, especially after the orthodontist visit.