Butterflies

Check Up

We pulled into the parking lot with two minutes to spare. Both Shawn and I sped into the building which was already filled with patients.

"Get yourself signed in. I'll be back in a few minutes to get you for your check up." I said. He nodded and we split ways, both of us going to where we needed to be. I set up my exam room as quickly as I could and pulled up Shawn's file. Eli came and filled me in on todays plan as I grabbed a clean set of tools.

Soon enough, I made my way to the waiting room. Shawn immediately noticed me and got up before I even called his name.

"Mr. Mendes, please follow me" I joked. He smiled and followed me through the hallway. He sat in the dental chair as I grabbed my tray. I then clipped a paper bib around his neck and took a seat in one of the swivel chairs.

"Okay, I am going to lean you back now" I chimed, putting on my mask. He shifted in the chair as it became parallel to the floor. "Have you been feeling any aches or pains?" I asked.

"Nope" he said, looking up into my eyes. I nodded, directing the overhead light to his mouth and sliding my tray of tools next to his head. After rolling over so his head was basically in my lap, I picked up the mirror and explorer and began.

"Open" I said while tapping his lips. He did without hesitation which made me feel good. I'm glad he feels comfortable. It also made me happy to see how healthy his teeth were. I looked around his mouth and tapped on each of his teeth. I pulled his cheeks back a few times to get a better look and was fairly pleased. The wounds from his wisdom teeth surgery had fully healed which was a great sign.

I noticed that Shawn kept his eyes on me the entire time. I glanced up from his mouth and laughed, noticing how funny he looked. With a bunch of my tools in his mouth while he was laying flat, he looked pretty cute. I handed him the suction to hold as I sprayed water into his teeth.

"What flavor of toothpaste would you like?" I asked. His eyebrows perked which made me giggle as I slid over to the drawer. "We have mint, grape, orange, bubble gum, chocolate, blueberry, and banana." I said, digging through the options.

"Surprise me" he said with a grin. I grabbed a small container of blueberry and scooped it out with the toothbrush. He opened his mouth once more as I began to polish his teeth with the blue paste. He quickly stuck the suction in which blocked my view.

"That tastes horrible" he laughed. I rolled my eyes and moves his hand back.

"It all tastes bad. Just a little longer then I'll wash it out." I replied. He grinned again then allowed me to finish. I used the suction and water to rinse the toothpaste away and he seemed happier.

"You're such a baby" I joked. He laughed and wiped his face with his shirt. "Okay lean back, time to floss." I sang. This was my favorite part. I quickly wiggled the long strand in between each of his teeth. I noticed a few spots had a little bit of blood which showed that his gums weren't used to it.

"Babe, you need to floss more" I said. He just chuckled since my hands were still in his mouth. As I finished, I grabbed my mirror once more. He continued to lay still as I did a final check of his teeth.

"Everything looks good!" I smiled. The chair rose up and we continued to talk while we waited for Dr. Stevens to come in. Soon enough, he bounced through the door with his perky personality. They greeted each other as I laid the dental chair down once again. Dr. Stevens grabbed the mirror and observed Shawn's teeth and jaw, along with looking for cavities.

"Looks good man, I'll see you in six months!" he said, shaking Shawn's hand. He left the room and I began to update Shawn's chart.

"Wait a second" I said, staring confused at the monitor. I paged Dr. Stevens as I reloaded the page but it still pulled up the same. Dr. Stevens' head popped into view and he asked why I needed his assistance.

"It says that the pictures from Shawn's orthodontic treatment have been discarded. They aren't anywhere in his file and every time I search for them they come up blank." I said.

Dr. Stevens came into the room to see for himself. Both of us were hovered over the monitor, trying to find access to the photos.

After a few minutes, Dr. Stevens backed away and sighed.

"I guess you'll just have to retake them." he said. I nodded and left the room, grabbing the camera and specific supplies that I'd need. As I came back in, I noticed that Shawn seemed a little worried.

"Don't worry, it's just pictures. We've had this happen before." I said.

"Oh" he nodded. I set the supplies on a new tray and hung the camera over my neck.

"So basically we are going to take pictures of your teeth as if you had just gotten your braces off. These are cheek retractors," I said, holding them up. "They help us get a better view but you probably remember doing this before so I'm not too worried." I said. I bent down to get eye level with Shawn as I slid in the retractors. They caused his teeth to be fully exposed which was pretty funny to look at. I quickly snapped a close up picture on the clinics' camera the slid my phone from my pocket. Before he could react, I took a picture on my phone and saved it. He glared as I continued taking the pictures.

"This one is smaller so I am going to put it in one side of your mouth at a time. I am going to have to stretch it which might be a little uncomfortable but it will be quick." I did that twice then moved on the the last set.

"Open super wide for me" I said. As he did, I wiggled in a large mirror that allowed me to see the whole top of his mouth. After taking the picture, I moved onto the bottom which made him gag a tiny bit but it ended quickly. I set the camera aside and unclipped his bib. As he stood up, I moved closer to him.

"Good job, babe" I said. He leaned down to kiss me which made me smile. We pulled away and I began to lead him out of the room.

"Just make sure you floss better. Other than that, you're a star patient." I smiled. He squeezed my hand as we parted ways. I went back into my room to set up for a long day ahead of me.