The Carousel

Mia's dentist has the coolest antique carousel. Said carousel resides on a covered patio next to the dental office, and the hygiene room (which has half a dozen child-size dental chairs in it) has windows so the children can see it while getting their teeth cleaned. The carousel lies still 363 days a year. Twice a year, the entire office staff comes out on a Saturday morning and all the patients are invited to come for a ride, parents in tow. It is quite a festive occasion, with balloons and a face-painting clown. (As always, we kept Mia a safe distance from the clown.) The ride itself lasts about 5 minutes and when you are done, you can get back in the very short line and ride again if you like. The staff tells us the idea is to provide the children with pleasant associations about going to the dentist.

This was the second time we've taken Mia to the carousel, and she was considerably more comfortable this time around (no pun intended). After we rode the carousel a few times, we took Mia into the office and let her sit in the brightly-colored hygiene chairs.