The dentist!

Today was Isabella's second trip to the dentist.

She came with me a year ago after a friend recommended taking her along to get used to the dentist. She screamed the place down...

This year, hoping she'd forgotten last time, hoping all the staff had forgotten last time, and hoping she may be old enough to participate, I booked a family appointment. At least if she kicked off while one of us was in the chair, the other could take over. Nonetheless I've been having sleepless nights. And...

...it went better! She played nicely in the waiting room. I went first and she sat on Nico's knee while he explained everything to her. Then we swapped. In the end, she didn't want her own go in the big chair but she doesn't have to until next year and I'm just glad she didn't get upset this time.

I'm glad we tried again and it went well. In future, we'll be sticking to family appointments. I hope it goes even better next year and the dentist gets to check her too.

The German Dentist

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Anyone who knows me, knows that I have had a love / hate relationship with my dentist for as long as I have been going to the dentist.  Having had chickenpox damage the enamel on my teeth at a young age, trips to the dentist became torture for me, even though I knew it was all for the best.  I know try and avoid the dentist at all costs by flossing and using an electric toothbrush.  In fact it's been eighteen months since my last visit.  I'm normally very good at keeping up with checkups but both the move and my resentment at paying £16.50 for the dentist to tell me to come back in six months have led to a long break.

Having found a new optician the other week, I decided to roll with it and update my other medical checks too, hence a visit to a new dentist on Friday.  I expected the experience to be doubly scary, doing it all in a second language but I was very pleasantly surprised.  I managed to fill out the forms and speak to the dentist with no language problems and I got the all clear to come back in six months.  The best part though - it was completely free!!  Normally in Germany, you pay 10 Euros for your first doctor appointment of the quarter plus whatever treatment you need but apparently dentists are different, and contrary to the British system, they are different in a way that saves our purses and makes me more inclined to keep up to those six month check ups!