The Dentist

Good morning everyone,

This is a photo of the town square in my historical fiction book, Prairie Autumn, except that in my book, there is no brick platform and the benches are roughhewn logs. Plus the tree is a mighty big cottonwood. The premise is the same. A central town park in an old western town. Love it.

While we were at this museum I saw an old dentist office. Ryan has always loved going to the dentist. Everyone is nice and his teeth are shiny and clean when he leaves. I've been taking him since he was three years old.

Here are some tips for taking your child with disabilities to a dentist:

• First, go to a dentist every six months yourself. Get any necessary work done. I've gone to the same dentist for years and I've only ever had one emergency. THAT was pricey. If you maintain your teeth you do two things: you prevent emergencies for the most part, something no professional likes and secondly, you build a relationship with the dentist. He or she knows that dental care is important to you.
• Start taking your child every six months for cleaning and work. Sealing of the molars is a good idea. Ryan's never had a cavity. If the dentist says that your child needs work, get it done in a timely manner.
• Pay your bills. Always. If you can't pay the whole thing at once, make standard payments each month. Still keep your six month appointments, even if it isn't paid off. Keep going to prevent further problems.
• Maintain good dental records. I scrapbooked Ryan's appointments. (Plus they took his pic with a cartoon character each appointment.) It was that important. They've found that gum disease can affect the heart and just about everything else in your body. I've recently had hip replacement and when I go to the dentist now I have to take antibiotics before I go. It's THAT important.

Good luck with your dental appointments and here's smiling at ya ... I've gone off the deep end ... I'm officially old and corny!

Much love and joy,

Karen