40 Teeny, Tiny, Clean and Shiny Chompers

I'll be honest. The kids aren't even two yet. I highly doubt I would've taken them to the dentist yet, except that because of Colton's cleft palate, (and crooked teeth), he NEEDED to be seen early. And well, when you have triplets, you usually adopt the "All for one and one for all" philosophy. So, at the ripe old age of 22 months, off we trekked to the dentist for the very first time!

So after gathering referrals from various other doctors and friends, we finally settled on one. Unfortunately, the one we settled on is CLEAR across town from us. But-he came recommended by Colton's surgeon, Dr. Hurst and since Dr. Hurst knows what Colton has in store for his mouth the next few years, I felt good about the fact that he liked him as a dentist.

Now, I'd like to tell you that the referral from Dr. Hurst is the only reason we decided to go with the dentist we did, but frankly, that would be a lie. I'll give you a second to look at the Dentist again...see photo below.

That's right people! I am THAT cool! Seriously picked a dentist cuz he has our same name! How fun is that? I was certain he was already going to be great based on the referral, but in case he wasn't, I figured he almost HAD to like us for that reason alone! I mean heck, we could be related for all we know! :)

So I called the office and made the appointment. And the woman who answered the phone was about as pleasant and helpful as they come! I was worried about whether to bring 3 toddlers to see the dentist on the same day (was I a glutton for punishment?) or spread them out and do it one at a time in case they were, shall we say "no bueno." She immediately put me at ease assuring me that bringing all three together where they could sit in side-by-side-by-side dentist chairs would be the best! She said they have lots of gals that work there who are totally prepared for this type of thing! (Though I have since been told we are the first set of triplets they've ever had there.) *Smile* Good or bad, they'll never forget us now!

So into the Suburban we all piled and away we went! Ignorance is bliss! The kids were totally duped! Pretty sure they thought they were going somewhere fun...

(And let's all pause and smile about the fact that Hunter is already recognizing the importance of bringing her purse with her when she travels...)

.

Wooo HOoooooo! Apparently they WERE going somewhere fun! Who WOULDN'T love the dentist if they walked in and saw THIS awesome play structure? Score 3 for the Bunchkins!!

And PacMan? Are you kidding me? This is right up there with the dinosaur in the fish tank at the pediatrician's office. Too bad Dr. Bunch is only a pediatric dentist.

AND a trinket machine?? Are you kidding me? It just keeps getting better! And yes, I'd like to clarify that this is NOT a gumball machine, which is what I initially thought. (Which seemed like a bad idea for a dentist's office, but hey, who am I to judge?) Anyway, it's not gum, it's toys.

Oh. And it spins. The fun just keeps getting better.

Lil Miss Sassafrass agrees.

And then, before long, we were being ushered into "the room." I don't know if it's just because he's the oldest, but somehow, Colton always seems to go first for everything. "Hello Colton, I'm Dr. Bunch." :) (for real, totally lovin that we picked Dr. Bunch, just so I can say Dr. Bunch, even though I would have been and would still be happy to see Dr. Marshall, who is his wife and the other dentist in the practice.)

Unfortunately, Colton's memory may be better than we give him credit for. He really didn't LOVE the idea of being in any type of medical-ish chair with anyone doing anything to his mouth. And given his history and troubles, can't say that I blame him for being a bit reluctant.

Having a little pep talk here. This is Dr. Bunch!

Well this is a little better...I'll sit on Dad's lap and THEN I'll let you look in my mouth. :)

His teeth were just slathered with a fluoride paste, so he's busy tasting that in his mouth.

Anyhoo...next up? ETHAN BEAR! I totally have to apologize to him because I pegged him to throw a temper tantrum here...and he was PERFECT! He didn't even seem to mind having Dr. Bunch look at all his teeth! (Of course, it helped that he simply started out on Dad's lap.) Such a good boy!

In the meantime, this IS a picture of a minor temper tantrum, courtesy of our friend Colton. Only lasted about 30 seconds, thankfully. Poor Gramma was busy entertaining the other two while one of us held a kid and the other of us took pictures.

But back to Ethan. What a precious little dude he is...That's my youngest baby boy lookin so big all of a sudden!

Meanwhile, Gramma is having a chat with Colton about appropriate dentist behavior.

No, not really.

I look at this picture and all I can think of is the commercial jingle, "I'm a Big Kid Now."

Hooray for Ethan Bear! All done!

Last up? Little lady Sassafrass. Content to stay on Mom's lap. I love how cute this picture is. Literally, you can see him saying it. "Hi Hunter, I'm Dr. Bunch." At this point I'm still getting over the surreal-ish-nish of the fact that important grown-ups are talking to my kids- Like big people. Cuz they almost ARE! This solidifies the fact that they aren't babies anymore....*sigh* (I also like how Colton is looking on...)

Little bit hesitant? Yeah...lil bit. But that's okay. She's just a tiny little bird...

But even still, she did GREAT! I'm just amazed at how good they all were.

Well if that isn't the face of uncertainty, I don't know what is!

Ethan and Gramma scopin' out the big kid chair.

Hooray for the big girl! All done! Oh, and were you wondering what they do on a toddler's first visit to the dentist? Well, they looked at all their teeth, looked for teeth that are still waiting to come in, checked 'em all for signs of decay and then spread a little fluoride paste all over their teeth. Pretty painless for the first visit!

And the best news? NO CAVITIES for the Bunchkins! I will do my best to shield them from ever falling in love with Dr. Pepper like their mother and father....

You didn't think I was going to leave there without at least ATTEMPTING a photo of Dr. Bunch with all 3 did you?? So what that only he and Hunter were cooperative? It's still a great memory!

See you in 6 months Dr. Bunch!

So here's my final summary. Northwest Children's Dentistry Rocks! It was totally worth the drive across town! EVERYone there from the front desk staff, to the hygienists, to the dentists are SO friendly and helpful! I would highly recommend this office to anyone out there searching for a Pediatric Dentist!

Tell 'em the Bunch Triplets sent you!