I have really bad teeth. It has been one of the banes of my existence. Every time I go to the dentist, I have to fight back the tears as he tells me a laundry list of work I need to get done. I just see dollar signs and think of all the other things I'd rather be spending my money on than fillings, root canals and crowns.
Nate has great teeth. Hardly any cavities. I think a lot of it is genetic (although his parents have both had a lot of dental issues and mine haven't had as many, so maybe not). We both eat quite a bit of candy. He flosses and I don't. That's probably the main difference.
Anyway, the point is that it appears that Harrison has unfortunately inherited my teeth. When I got back from California a few weeks ago Nate pointed out that Harrison had a broken molar and it looked black underneath. I felt a sense of dread and thought, "It begins." Then I thought, it's just a baby tooth, I'm not going to worry about it. Until last Tuesday night when he complained during dinner that it really hurt to the point that he didn't even want to eat one of his favorite meals (The chicken pineapple teriyaki meatballs from Costco, you really must try them. Who doesn't love a dinner that you can warm up in the microwave for 2 minutes, make some rice and open a can of pineapple?) Anyway, I called and made an appointment for the next day.
All morning was filled with worry and questions as to whether or not it was going to hurt. I really didn't know if it would or not, because I had no idea what the outcome would be. I explained that the dentist is a friend of ours, we've played at their house, he goes to our church, and he'll try not to hurt you. He said, "Tell him to be gentle with me, because I'm just a little guy." (So precious).
Well, it turns out that it did hurt. BAD. It had a big cavity in it and infection under it, so they wanted to pull it. My heart sank. Who wants to have their child go through pain and discomfort? (I tried to think about what Natalie and baby Claire go through EVERYDAY and be strong!) Anyway, the dentist was probably smart to send us to the waiting room, but then it was awful sitting there and listening to what sounded like a torture chamber going on in the back as I heard Harrison scream and cry. Thankfully, the dentist's wife, who is also my friend from the dorms at BYU, Sarah, stopped by just in time to distract me from going crazy.
Nate has great teeth. Hardly any cavities. I think a lot of it is genetic (although his parents have both had a lot of dental issues and mine haven't had as many, so maybe not). We both eat quite a bit of candy. He flosses and I don't. That's probably the main difference.
Anyway, the point is that it appears that Harrison has unfortunately inherited my teeth. When I got back from California a few weeks ago Nate pointed out that Harrison had a broken molar and it looked black underneath. I felt a sense of dread and thought, "It begins." Then I thought, it's just a baby tooth, I'm not going to worry about it. Until last Tuesday night when he complained during dinner that it really hurt to the point that he didn't even want to eat one of his favorite meals (The chicken pineapple teriyaki meatballs from Costco, you really must try them. Who doesn't love a dinner that you can warm up in the microwave for 2 minutes, make some rice and open a can of pineapple?) Anyway, I called and made an appointment for the next day.
All morning was filled with worry and questions as to whether or not it was going to hurt. I really didn't know if it would or not, because I had no idea what the outcome would be. I explained that the dentist is a friend of ours, we've played at their house, he goes to our church, and he'll try not to hurt you. He said, "Tell him to be gentle with me, because I'm just a little guy." (So precious).
Well, it turns out that it did hurt. BAD. It had a big cavity in it and infection under it, so they wanted to pull it. My heart sank. Who wants to have their child go through pain and discomfort? (I tried to think about what Natalie and baby Claire go through EVERYDAY and be strong!) Anyway, the dentist was probably smart to send us to the waiting room, but then it was awful sitting there and listening to what sounded like a torture chamber going on in the back as I heard Harrison scream and cry. Thankfully, the dentist's wife, who is also my friend from the dorms at BYU, Sarah, stopped by just in time to distract me from going crazy.
Poor baby, they had to give him Novocaine two different times because he wasn't numb enough. Then on the way home the drama really started. There was much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. He was really worked up. So I got him home, gave him some ice and some Tylenol, and held him while he watched a movie. I told him that if he went to sleep he'd feel a lot better. Sure enough, he fell asleep for about almost
2 hours. I called the school and told him what was going on and that he might be in late depending on how he was feeling.
He woke up feeling much better, but didn't want to go to school and I figured with all the trauma, it was fine for him to stay home.
They gave him his tooth in a little, orange treasure box. I laughed out loud when I went into the living room later that day and saw this. 
I guess he though it worthy of becoming part of the decor. Also, please note the sticky skeleton prize adorning the wall.
He was left with a pretty good sized hole. They are going to put in a spacer next month. Heaven help me that it's an easier procedure.
It was great to have our happy little Harrison back (although notice, he has his "green blanket," must have still needed some comfort!). I just hope that he doesn't have a life time of this kind of thing ahead of him. Better start flossing.
That evening was much more enjoyable. It was my first Wednesday of not being Young Women's President. After four years (2 in CA and almost 2 here), it's been a long while since I've had an open Wednesday night. Nate's class even got canceled, so we went to dinner (and happily found out it was 99 cent kid's meal night AND they had little pumpkins for the kids to decorate!) Then I went to Wal-Mart, all by myself, which was down right fun!
As always, I have to remember that if bad teeth are our biggest medical concern then we should thank our lucky stars. Things could be so much worse. And I have to be grateful that we have insurance and that this was fully covered (supposedly. I hope I don't get a surprise bill in the mail).
AND, there are lots of great activities that these bad teeth of ours help us do. Talking, eating, smiling -- "these are a few of favorite things!"
4 comments:
Is your dentist Dr. Twiss?
Yes, I forgot you knew him.
Did we already make that connection too? Sorry if so, my memory isn't what it used to be. I can'tbelieve how big Harrison and Elizabeth are getting. They are so darling and funny!!Hope you are feeling well. BTW,You looked beautiful in the purple dress at the wedding. We need to talk soon.
You found my blog! Well, one of them. My other one--my first one--is listed as "my other blog" in the first set of links. It is more sarcastic (and therefore more enjoyable for me to write) than the monkey one. I actually started the monkey one because I wanted it to be a "family scrapbook", something the kids and the grandparents could read. Boy, that makes the other one sound really inappropriate. Maybe it is!
Poor Harrison! He proudly showed me the hole that Sunday, but didn't say a word about any of it! Sid (my oldest) has horrible teeth. It was because he exclusively breastfed until he was 17 months old (his choice, not mine) and the milk just melted his teeth away. So I feel your pain. And by the way, it IS totally hereditary, IMO.
And in closing, I can NOT believe how many blog links you have on your blog. I think you hold the record for links! Elizabeth totally sounds like a young Josie in training. Both of your kids are adorable!
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