The Tale of the Flying Tooth

Tad’s top two front teeth have been loose for a good long while.  I’ve been checking them and wiggling them, then wiggling them some more, because those suckers just didn’t want to budge.  In the meantime, they were bending backward in his mouth and the adult teeth were showing signs of wanting to come in OVER the top of the baby teeth.

I thought it meant he was becoming more shark-like.  The Webmaster just sighed and said, “We’ll never go on vacation again – we’ll be paying for orthodonture!”

Yesterday, the kids had their regular six-month cleaning and checkup at the dentist’s office.  Our dentist, Dr. S, took one look at Tad’s top two teeth and decided that they really needed to come out.  She wiggled them a bit, put some numbing gel on his gums, then wiggled them some more.  Then she pulled out the needle and novocaine.  I knew it was getting serious at that point.  Tad was completely distracted by the Batman (1966) movie that he was watching while in the exam chair, plus he was already numbed from the gel, so he didn’t notice the needle.

Then Dr. S said, “Close the door,” as she reached for the pliers.

Tad was not so numb that he couldn’t feel the pull, and he let out a cry and yell as she yanked.  Out popped tooth #1 – which flew out of the pliers’ grip, straight into the sink, and balanced on the edge of the drain.

At which point the dental hygenist and I both stood there with our mouths open.  It was right on the edge of falling in.  And as I tried to pick it up with tweezers, it did.

Crap.

Tooth #2 was also yanked out with a yelp and cry, but minus the flight to the sink.  It landed safely on the tray.

At this point I was profoundly grateful that Tad doesn’t have major issues at the dentist, because that surely would have sent him over the edge.  He was still watching Batman, though definitely shaken up.  Dr. S decided that he’d had enough for one day, so she told the hygenist to just give him a good brushing, do the new flouride treatment on his teeth (they now paint the flavored flouride on with a tiny little paintbrush and let it bond to the teeth, and you can’t eat anything hot for 4 hours), and then call it a day for him.

I was still staring at the sink, trying to figure out how we were going to get that tooth out.  After Tad was all done, and Ane was getting finished up in a different room, Dr. S’s right-hand girl came in to try and get the tooth out of the drain.  After 20 minutes of tweezers, duct tape on a toothpick, and other sticking ideas, we came to the mutual conclusion that the drainpipe would have to be removed.  I felt so incredibly bad at this point, but Tad wanted his tooth, and, truth be told, so did I.  So I took the kids back out to the waiting area while the right-hand girl got a wrench and a bucket.

Ten minutes later, she had the tooth, which she cleaned off and gave to me.

By this time, I was so embarrassed over this whole thing.  I made them a deal – I wouldn’t bring the kids back for another six months, which they agreed to.  Ha ha.

Tad figured out that two teeth gone means double monies.

I’m just SO relieved that we actually have both teeth to put under his pillow.  And that Tad is not permanently traumatized about visiting the dentist.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 27th, 2012 at 12:41 am and is filed under Autism Adventures, Children.
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