First trip to the dentist!

I took Jake for his first dentist visit yesterday. At his 15 month well baby doctor appointment, the doctor recommended taking him in... not because he thought there was a problem, but because he always recommends taking the kids in when they get quite a few teeth (he's got 16 in already...) or just after their first birthday. This surprised me since I figured I wouldn't need to take him for another year or two. But, our insurance covers a check-up every 6 months, so I figured that I might as well take advantage of that. I took him to a pediatric dentist here in town, so thankfully there were plenty of toys in the waiting room to keep him entertained while we waited! We got back to the big chair and they put a big foam cushion thing on the chair for Jake to lay on. I knew there was no way he was going to be happy about that! (I've talked to other parents who have held their little ones on their lap during the first visit, so I'm surprised that they didn't do that here!) He was terrified...poor guy! He layed VERY still, but had fear in his eyes and screamed DADDYYYYY!!!! DDAAAADDDDD!!!! DADDDDYYYYY!!! the whole time. (I knew it was loud when a lady in the waiting area asked me if that was my child when we came out... thanks for noticing, lady!) He clung to me tightly as we left. I felt bad, but I knew it was for a good cause.. and thankfully the dentist gave me some good tips on brushing teeth without a battle. (We had been struggling with this lately because the "I can do it myself" train of thought has taken over... Yes, he can do it himself, but I always want to give them a good scrub too to make sure... Jake doesn't really approve of that... hah)