Freddie visits the dentist.

Freddie went to the dentist today.

As I promised Jones's hygienist last week, Freddie acted the exact opposite of his brother. He was such a champ. In fact, I think I'M more tense when I go to the dentist than HE was. Today's hygienist (Jalinda?) inspected his teeth, and he laid on the table like he was spread out on a beach.

No fits. No flinching. No fighting.

Hey, Jones. Are you watching this?!

Jalinda confirmed what we'd been told at Freddie's first appointment (in November of 2014; we've been without dental insurance for awhile, thus the lapse in appointments)- that he has something called "enamel hypoplasia."

When we first were told, we thought it just meant discoloration on his two front teeth. Turns out, it's more involved than that. Apparently, when some of his teeth were forming under the gums, they didn't form enamel. Dr. Bill said this is generally because the body is fighting an infection / fever somewhere else in the body when the teeth are forming, so they get less enamel.

The result is discoloration, yes, but it also means the affected teeth are softer and, thereby, more prone to cavities. Thankfully, Freckle doesn't have any cavities - or even any decay - but he does have hypoplasia on a couple more teeth than we originally thought, so he is more likely - though not guaranteed - to have those problems in the future.

When the hygienist noticed it, she thought it might mean a stainless steel crown on the most affected tooth. I immediately bristled - it's a baby tooth, right?! She explained, though, that since it's on a molar, he'll need to keep that tooth until he's about twelve, so the alternative is to fill it to protect it from breaking, but because it's so soft, it'll probably keep breaking, which means refilling it over and over again.

Ugh. It's ALWAYS something, right?!?

She took him for an x-ray to be sure. He walked off with her, like he'd known her all his life, while Jones and I stayed in the exam room. When she came back, she said she'd never seen a kid do as well as he did on X-rays. I'll bet she says that to all the moms, but still ... after my experience with Jones last Tuesday, I'll take any kind of positive feedback that I can get.

So I texted Jeremy and told him the news and sat there waiting for the doctor full of dread about how much a stainless steel crown costs for a two year old. But the news from Dr. Bill (whom Jones calls "Dr. Bail." If I can get it on video, I'm gonna) was all good.

Dr. Bill said that, while he does have some enamel hypoplasia, there is no decay, so there is no need to do anything other than watch it right now. He painted some fluoride on it and sent us on our way.

As I thought about it, though, I wondered if maybe it's genetic. I remember having a filling at a very early age (4 or 5) from Dr. Straup in Anderson.  I also remember the filling having to be RE-filled, because it broke off several times. At the time, we assumed the problem was with Dr. Straup (which prompted our eventual switch to Dr. Camak), but now I'm wondering if the problem wasn't with MY having the same enamel-deficiency that I may have passed down to my son?

That'd almost make me feel glad, because it'd mean he got at least SOMETHING from me!

Anyway, I'm thankful that all went well - and that, aside from some shoddy genetics, Freckle's teeth look great.

And while we're talking "great," Jones did GREAT, too. He went with me and played quietly in the corner of the room all through Freddie's exam. When I told him to clean up the toys, he did it quickly and without complaining. He was so good, in fact, that the hygienist gave HIM a treat, too, and this time, unlike when HE was the patient, I let him have the treat, because this time, unlike last, he'd earned it.

Oh, and funnily, the boys got to pick a sticker before they left the exam room. Jones picked a Jake sticker, because it had Bucky (the ship) on it. Freddie, the kid who still says he wants to "be like Zurg" for Halloween, picked a sticker with Captain Hook on it. I love like you cannot imagine that he loves the villains.

As a recovering actor, I remember that those are always the juiciest parts to play, so it thrills me that he gravitates towards the more interesting characters. Of course, I'm ignoring the fact that he seems to be interested in the vilest among his cartoon universe, but still. So cute.

Oh, and when I said to Jones, "Did you know that Dr. Bill was a Tarheel (he played for Dean Smith, which is probably why Jeremy is so insistent that the boys see him)?" Jones said, "He's not a Tarheel! He's a DENTIST!"

comparing ninjas from the prize machine

Look at how calm he is in this video.