Since my first child started to walk, my fear of damaged teeth set in. I don’t know what it was, but every time he walked (who am I kidding, he ran everywhere) I cringed a little. I knew he was just going to fall flat on his face and knock a tooth out. I knew that nothing would be done because they were baby teeth. I worried that I’d have a 2 or 3 year old walking around, missing a front tooth, until he was 6 or 7. To say that protecting his teeth (and Lucy's and now Liv's too) was an obsession, would be a huge understatement.
We were lucky though. Bud has managed to chip both of his bottom front teeth over his 5.5 years, once by falling off of a swing at age 2, and again last summer by banging his chin on the floor at school. This was generally, not a big deal and if noting else, assured me that the kid’s teeth were pretty tough.
I wasn’t really waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it has, in a big way.
I mentioned last week discovering the growth of an extra tooth in Bud’s mouth. It has been coming down right in between his 2 front teeth, pushing them farther and farther apart. Yesterday was the fateful dentist appointment, and he did surprisingly well, chatting with Dr. Mary, sitting well for an x-ray, everything. I was proud of our kid.
The Dr. was too. He has very clean teeth and no cavities, so yay! She reviewed the x-ray to determine if this was, in fact, an extra tooth, or if one of his permanent teeth was coming down early, and in the wrong spot. The x-ray revealed that it was for sure an extra tooth and the dentist let us know that it has done no damage to his permanent teeth. Hub and I were relieved…until…the other shoe dropped.
It is dissolving Bud’s baby teeth. Right now it’s not such a big deal, but if the deteriorate further, it could cause decay and problems for his permanent teeth. So. Not only will he be having the extra tooth removed, he needs to have the 2 front teeth removed as well. It is the best option to protect the big teeth.
And I get it, I do. But I hate the thought of my baby being without his front teeth for a year or more. He’ll go off to kindergarten like this. Who knows when the big teeth will come down.
It’s trivial, I know. And in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really mater. It matters to me though. It’s like a nightmare is coming true and I can see it coming a mile away. And I can’t do anything to stop it.
The procedure will occur in late August, giving the extra tooth some more time to descend so that she can just yank it, as opposed to cutting his gums. I guess we'll just enjoy his (extra) toothy grin until then.
32 comments:
A friend of K's had to have this done.
Maybe Bud's teeth will come down faster with nothing in the way?
Hub asked the dentist and she said "maybe....but not usually."
I remember when I lost my two front teeth and my mother refused to have my pictures taken in a studio "because she didn't want pictures of me looking like that."
So, um. Tell him they are just teeth. Tell him he is a big boy. Put them out for the tooth fairy and take a picture of his gaping grin and tell him he is a handsome little man, with or without the two front teeth. Otherwise he will complain on someone's blog in 20 years. :)
Poor little guy. My friend's daughter knocked out her two front teeth in a fall when she was only four. It was the cutest thing to see her smile!
Misty-- lol! He gets to leave 3 teeth for the tooth fairy.
Of course, I'm not letting him know I'm upset about it. I'm sure he'll be adorable.
I'll let him have his picture taken. :)
Aw, poor guy. Teeth grow back fast, so don't fret!!
He'll just be one of those kids who were "lucky" enough to lose a couple of teeth before school started. Won't be that many who will even bat an eye when he smiles.
I thought I was the only mom to have such a fear of her kid losing a tooth in a non-natural way.
I'm sorry for Bud. And for you, Momma.
Oh, they do look SO CUTE when their front teeth go, though! My two older boys both lost their front teeth around the time they turned 6, and I took each of them right out to get a picture taken. ADORBS.
I'm sorry you have to deal with this! But you know what, he's old enough now that they could feasibly have fallen out naturally, you know? Everyone who sees him will just assume that he lost a tooth like a big boy. I lost my first tooth naturally at the age of four and it was never a big deal.
One of Jo's top front teeth fell out the summer after kindergarten. It is now almost the summer after second grade, and while many other teeth have fallen out and been replaced with their permanent versions, that particular permanent tooth has not come in. It's there, but it's in no hurry. It's been missing for TWO YEARS. It doesn't bother her, but we do wonder when it will show up.
crap.
with brandons front teeth having a problem, instead of pulling them, they put protective white caps on them and you can't tell. that way it sealed them and they didnt have to be pulled till they fell out.
Total randomness: I took myself off the other blog since I never did anything with it. Thanks for the invite, though!
Wow, I can see why you are upset about this. I would be too. But all I can think of it thank goodness you can afford good dental care. I know plenty of kids who's parents can't. And a problem like this probably wouldn't get fixed. Yikes. Good luck with it all.
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