Better wear shades

"I'm going to brush my teeth so shiny it will hurt your eyes," Niranjana said earlier this fall.

She will show us her teeth and if we think she did a good job brushing we cover our eyes and exclaim, "Ow, my eyes, I need my sunglasses!"

We saw the dentist today for a six-month checkup. She had her first x-rays. No cavities! And about six months before her first molars come in, as they showed up on the x-ray.

Courtney, the perfect hygienist for a child, used funky pink/purple stuff to show which areas need better brushing so they can be shinier.

We love our dentist, Dr. Dean. He got Andy back on the straight-and-narrow about 14 years ago. He knows how to cure the tingle from too much wine tasting. I've referred so many people to him that he once sent me a flower arrangement as a thank you. He sends us home with samples of cavity-fighting lollipops. He has Disney princess toothbrushes for Niranjana.

He even has toy sunglasses in the prize basket. Perfect to protect our eyes from those 20, cute, white, nicely spaced, shiny-bright teeth.