So...my little boy Joel had to have his front (baby) tooth unexpectedly extracted today, after he fell on a concrete driveway a few days ago, and the tooth turned an unhealthy gray.Joel was an absolute champ about the whole procedure (including the shots...), but I'm still shaking and quaking after watching the tooth get tugged and pried from of his little mouth. We had a great dentist, who asked if I was going to faint, and then questioned me: "does hemorrhaging bother you?"
That would be an affirmative...
Anyway, I spent all morning at the dentist and have not been able to get back to my review of Clash of the Titans (2010.) I'm going to try to get back on it now, but honestly, I just want a good, stiff drink....
Somebody please tell me that being a parent gets easier...
Hey Buddy,
ReplyDeleteMy daughter had her 'first' injury the other day. She fell face first into a rocking chair and cut her gums and lip and was bleeding anywhere. She started laughing after a minute or two. I think the pain is worse on the parents then the kids, to be honest. Kids don't understand the impact of their injuries as well as the emotional capacity to milk it or overindulge so. . .we just take the hit more.
Sorry man. . .it doesn't get easier (then again, you've been a parent longer then I) but you're not alone.
Thanks Will,
ReplyDeleteI hope your daughter is doing better after her spill. Yikes!
Joel is doing fine now, but jeez, I'm still traumatized...
best,
John
Just like everyone else, we've been there for the stair tumbles and the head bumps and some of them generating welts that will have you pacing with great concern and praying intently.
ReplyDeleteBut, if you can survive the physical stuff [and they usually do] and you remain consistent with your messages of discipline, the kids generally make life a little easier for you.
But, we'll always worry about them until the day we die. Bless the children all.
Well said, Sci-Fi Fanatic,
ReplyDeleteJoel is a strong, independent kid and yet, as you say, I'll always worry about him...
Thanks for the parental support!
best,
JKM
By the way my friend....you sound like a great, loving Dad.
ReplyDeleteRight back at ya, Sci-Fi Fanatic. I think that's another thing we share in common!
ReplyDeletebest,
John
When Little Miss was a couple of weeks old, we all went to a scheduled checkup. Number 1 Son and I went to get the car. Since he didn't have his gloves, he insisted on sticking his hands in his pockets. Of course, he then slipped on an ice patch, and I couldn't catch him.
ReplyDeleteAt that point, I knew the best thing I could do was put him in the car, and trade Little Miss for him at the door. He looked at me so pitiful and said, "Daddy, can you straighten my front teeth back?" I couldn't even speak.
He ended up with a partial instead of his two front upper teeth for the 3-4 years or so (I forget exactly) that it took for the permanent teeth to come in.
Sad part it, it's not even high on his list of memorable doctors encounters...
Hi Kentucky Packrat,
ReplyDeleteOh my...my heart literally sinks at the sound of that story...but it's good to know that your boy is okay after such a tumble.
My problem -- and I realize that this is my vanity and my ego -- is that Joel is such a beautiful child, and now he has to go three or four years with that gap in the front of his mouth, until a permanent tooth comes in.
It's either that or do one of those prosthetic/fake teeth, which I'm afraid will be uncomfortable for him (it's looped around his back teeth...) and doesn't appear very user friendly..
Ugh, it just shows you how things can go dramatically wrong in an instant, and you can't put them back together again the same way.
Joel is beautiful, and excited to get a gift from the tooth fairy tomorrow morning, but I'm still kinda morose about the whole incident.
But it is good to know that kids survive these things A-OK!.
Thank you, my friend,
best wishes,
John
Yeesh! Why do kids always have to hurt their teeth. I can't read anymore *faints*
ReplyDeleteThe reactions you shared with your readers today are obviously those of a thoughtful and loving parent, John. Children are amazing in their capacity to bounce back and forget what's happened -- they epitomize 'living in he moment', while their parents fret about what's happened. I'm sure he'll be fine [though his parents will likely gain some new gray hairs ;-)]. Wishing him, and his parents, well.
ReplyDeleteIt's either that or do one of those prosthetic/fake teeth, which I'm afraid will be uncomfortable for him (it's looped around his back teeth...) and doesn't appear very user friendly..
ReplyDeleteWe were lucky that our health insurance picked up the cost of a semi-permanent partial for Number 1 Son. (The dentist told us and insurance that his teeth would shift out of position without it.) It took the dentist forever to get our insurance straight (my dental insurance took forever to reject the claim, because it was an accident, and then the HMO took a while to figure out that it wasn't a dental incident), but the partial worked well.
The partial he had was easier than Little Miss' braces a couple of years ago. Just help him brush around it, and he will probably forget it's there.
I could do a "Cheer up, the worst is yet to come!" speech, but somehow I don't think that would help right now.
Hi guys!
ReplyDeleteLe0pard13: Gray hairs is right! :)
At this rate, I think I'll be completely gray by the time Joel is five! Thank you for the kind words, my friend. I appreciate them.
Joel is happy as could be this morning, since the tooth fairy paid him a visit last night with a Transformer "Combiner."
Kentucky Packrat: My wife and are both self-employed, so we have good health insurance for the family, but NO dental coverage, which is a big-time bummer. But price is not an object where Joel's health and well-being is the issue. Maybe that partial wouldn't be so bad or uncomfortable? The dentist wants to do a regular cleaning and see how he reacts to that level of interaction, and then determine if Joel would be a good candidate for a partial.
Thank you so much for the information, my friend. It's good to know that this is all survivable!!!
best to you both,
John