ode to dr pike

i remember my first trip to the dentist. his office was downtown and there was a sliding glass window in the lobby, where the receptionist sat. the first time i went, for some reason my mom left me there in the lobby. when they called my name , i hid under a table. that pretty much sums up my feelings about dental visits to this day. and i have had a lot of visits in my 45 years.

so when ruby was home and “meet the dentist age”, i wanted her to have a different experience. after asking my wise friends with children where they went, one name came up several times, dr pike. i made an appointment for her to see dr pike.

our first visit we were running late and i was worried about not being there on time. little did i know that appointments are fluid and i needn’t have fretted. we arrived and sat in the lobby for a few minutes watching the looping video of a chimp brushing his teeth. then we were both ushered into the back room, me for a tour and meeting with dr pike, ruby to the treasure chest to pick a toy.

dr pike is a diminutive man, with a smidge of white hair and a friendly smile. he is in his late 60’s to early 70’s i would guess. i liked him immediately. he showed me around the office and explained the new philosophy of kids dentistry- no fear and no pain. the staff are all young and friendly, there are 3 dentists and 8 or so hygienists.

meanwhile, ruby had gone off with one of the hygienists and was sitting on an exam table happily brushing the teeth of a large ugly stuffed monkey or creature of some kind. wearing bright sunglasses she looked ready for a day at the beach. the exam room is big- and reminded me of a summer camp cabin. it was filled with about 7 or 8 exam tables all loaded with kids getting dental care. there is a cage full of gerbils, a fish tank and several treasure troves filled with toys and flashing tooth brushes. she let them clean and examine her teeth and had a great time.

when i took hazel last week for her first visit, she was a little shy and didn’t really want to let them do her teeth. so they were flexible and sat her on my lap to do the exam.

we went on a wednesday morning and madison was there. madison is an 11 year old golden retriever. madison was laying on a kids lap on the exam table while the kid was getting a filling. we’ll be going on wednesday to get our care from now on so we can get our pooch fill! dr pike rocks!