Dentist Day

Kid dental x-rays look freaky cool.

Early May, the orthodontist thought that it was freaky how Shane's incisors were pointed inwards and positioned to push in under his adult incisors. She recommended we remove some of his baby teeth to fix the problem before there were worse problems in the future.

The dentist happened to walk over from next door to visit and the orthodontist showed her the x-rays. They agreed extractions were the best course of action and the dentist asked me about Shane's fillings. "How did he handle those? Fillings are worse than extractions on kids."

"He did fine thanks to 'tablet hypnosis.'"

I think I coined a new term from their reactions.

I scheduled the first appointment I could to make sure Shane got looked at before I lost my insurance between jobs (Which, by the way, only paid for 2.33 teeth and the rest was out of pocket). 

Today was it.

It certainly looked like Shane was having a good day when I picked him up. He let me know he was the Jackrabbit of the Week!

He seemed happy, hearty, hale, and happy to get out of school early! He was looking forward to playing a MineCraft knock-off.

Shane asked to ride with Mom to the dentist. We had to take two cars, because she had a 3:00 PM appointment with County HR about being a substitute teacher. Carrie let me know something was up when we got to the dentist (more on that tomorrow).

Tablet hypnosis did the trick again. I watched the doctor stick Shane in the mouth with a needle all over while he tried to tell her what he was doing while her hand was still in his mouth. She'd already stuck him multiple times before he even asked, "Is that a shot?"

She answered him, but I think he was more concerned that her hand was obscuring his view of the game.

Proof a tablet can turn my kid into a drooling idiot.

The extractions went without a hitch. Carrie flinched seeing them come out. The roots were still fully formed and the teeth were much larger than we expected.

Shane played on, undisturbed. The only thing that bothered him were the gauze pads they made him bite on after they were done!

Shane and I went buy Tropical Smoothie Cafe afterward. He couldn't use a straw, so I got him a spoon.

It turned out to be a much messier affair driving home than I expected. I was proud of Shane for how well everything went, so I told him not to worry about it!

We showed him the teeth when we got home.

Neat stuff. It looks like it should have been so much more painful than it was.

Shane's going to have a chipmunk smile for a while! The dentist warned us right before they started that Shane's canines were probably a couple of years away from coming in! And that's if they come in at all!

At that point, we were already there and planning on doing it, so we did it. It was still a bit of a, "Huh" moment.

Don't worry about Shane feeling off. He started poking me and I chased him around the kitchen. We got in trouble when he tripped over the stool and banged it into the fridge for a small dent.

"You shouldn't have chased me, Dad!"

"You should've known how to not bump into things!"

Yeah. Shane acted like nothing much had happened. We didn't even give him any pain meds.

Just a day in the life!

Filling in the Gaps

Nov 21st, Shane wiggled out a tooth. I don't think I mentioned it.

Today, he wiggled out another!

There was a time we had to encourage....nay, command Shane to wiggle loose teeth. He was scared to do it.

Now, he can't leave them alone. It seems too early to lose both canines to me, but they're gone! Dentist bills are down. Tooth fairy bills are up.

Thankfully, the tooth fairy is a lot cheaper than the dentist.

Also - the tooth fairy played it a little creative this time. Shane got a pack of Pokemon cards under his pillow. Will that out the truth about the tooth fairy? Find out......later!

Another Tooth Bites the Dust

It wiggled for two weeks while Mom was away. 

She returned; It was out the next day!

Time for another tooth fairy visit. Those are less drama and much cheaper than dentist visits!

Pearly Whites

Shane and I went to the dentist today. He got out of school a little early.

Another shark tooth needed attention. I gave Shane an ultimatum: "Pull out the tooth by Tuesday, or the dentist gets it."

Carrie and I wiggled it more than Shane did. He complained every time we did, too. He said it hurt, he didn't want us to, etc. etc.

He started to regret his choice on the ride over. "Will it hurt?" "Will they use that disgusting tasting stuff?" "Do I have to?" "Can't I just have yellow teeth like ______?"

I did my best to assuage his fears while being honest. "They give you medicine so it won't hurt." "Yes, it tastes bad but it makes it not hurt. Do you want it to hurt?" "Yes." "No. _____ is old."

Last time, it went well. This time, Shane psyched himself out. He kicked one of the aides near her eye!

They went with the full body block after that.

(In Shane's defense, it really wasn't much of a kick. It was more of an attempt to squirm away down the chair with his feet up. I was mortified, though.)

After the initial panic, Shane calmed down and the extraction went off without a hitch.

There really was not much of a root left. I wonder if that means the tooth could have come out on it's own after all (I read that the root doesn't always dissolve when the adult tooth pops up behind the baby one).

That should equate to a quicker heal time, at least. Shane was happy and trying to watch Toy Story 3 immediately afterwards. He didn't want to leave.

We went to my allergist's next. I'm almost caught up on my shots. I would have let Shane use my phone, but I wasn't about to after he kicked someone (accidental, in a panic, or otherwise). He had to read instead. I kept my phone pocketed and didn't use it myself to be a good role model (He still complained, but at least he couldn't say it was unfair I had it).

That night, Carrie went to work wiggling a different loose tooth. She got it.

Shane's grin is ten different shades of goofy now! We put both teeth under the pillow.

Shane got three dollars instead of two. The tooth fairy pays extra for quantity!

More Loose Teeth

Almost a month ago, the hygienist said, "You could love four teeth in the next four weeks!"

Every tooth is still accounted for, but they're wiggly.

Shane's a wimp about wiggling them. Carrie and I (mostly Carrie) have 'helped' this week.

UPDATE:

Carrie wouldn't let Shane wimp out and coaxed him to victory.

The bloody trophy:

Shane swish-swished with some ice water and now he has a great gap-toothed smile.

The one on the other side isn't as loose and I see an adult tooth starting to make it's way in. We're going to have to work more on that one before it becomes another dental visit!

Chicken Pickin

Surprise! More chickens!

Carrie brought home four Silkie-mixes from a farm in Crozet ($5 each).

They're all ladies according to the crests and old wives' tales.

And they're in the kitchen (alive). Max wasn't impressed.

Carrie bought them after work. She must have taken them with her to pick Shane up from school.

Speaking of Shane, he wasn't feeling the best. He woke up at 1 AM saying his mouth hurt. A flashlight revealed six year molars. Ibuprofen put him back to bed. Then, he had a rough day at school. He had an orange day, his teacher said he tried to lay down in the middle of the room, got pushed on the playground, and came home with a fever of 102.2 F.

He was asleep on the couch by 6:30ish PM. I carried him up at 8 PM and gave him a dose of medicine to keep the fever down in the night.

UPDATE: He slept for 13 hours and felt much better in the morning.

Meanwhile, Bucket worked up the nerve to check out the chicks.

It was a peek and run.

Carrie remained fascinated.

Right now, all of our silkies have gone broody and stopped producing eggs. Carrie must have missed the collection, because she's supplemented!

Carrie really wants a farm one day. I hope our flock doesn't swell beyond our means before it happens.

Extraction Complete

Shane and I went back to the dentist today to pull his baby shark tooth. It's been there for months.

 TV induced hypnosis is real.

I was less at ease than Shane. I winced when the dentist pulled out the needle. The assistant moved Shane's hands to his lap and prepared to block. Shane was so lost in the credits he didn't realize what was going on until the needle was buried deep. He stayed calm enough for the remainder and the anesthetic worked its magic.

The dentist worked fast. She let the tooth numb and Shane get lost watching the movie credits scroll again. She asked about Shane's girlfriends and what he did over the weekend. Then she struck. Pop! Shane didn't see it coming. I didn't see it coming. The tooth was out. Shane tensed. The root came out next. Pop!

Shane looked like he was ready to be upset, but the dentist said "Look at this big root! Do you want to see it?"

Everyone ooh'd and aah'd. The assistant gave Shane a 'tooth pillow' to bite down on for the next 15 minutes or so. We waited in the room for five before we got the thumbs up.

Our appointment was at 2:00 PM and Shane and I walked out of the room at 2:20 PM. $64 with insurance.

We went home to play some Lego Hobbit right after.

I was personally glad to hear the root was still around. I was not eager to put my kid in the chair, but I wanted to do the right thing and I wanted to do it before I went back to work. The first permanent tooth popped up at the end of April. This one (#2) probably popped up mid-May and has been stuck ever since.

I guess I never posted about the tooth fairy visit. Dentist teeth don't get picked up. They get to stay around and examined.

I didn't want Shane to freak out about the dentist, so I had a plan going in. I told Shane that "it wouldn't hurt at the dentist's. The hurt would come later when the medicine wore off....so we'll play Lego Hobbit to make you feel better!"

I kid you not, Shane asked to go to the dentist early. I must have heard, "Is it 2:00 yet?" a dozen times.

Lego Hobbit did a good job distracting him afterward. He got whinier as the medicine wore off and hunger kicked in.

We went out for eggs. Shane pouted and protested the whole time. He only ate the "I don't want these" eggs after I told him that was it for food tonight......and that he could play Angry Birds if he cleared the plate.

That worked.

I got mashed potatoes on the side and an egg dish for moral support. I hoped it would also be a reserve supply of food, but Shane swore he was full.

Until we got home.

That little stink....