Something Missing?

You think that you are taking your kids to the dentist for their normal, routine cleaning and check-up. But I should know by now that often times with children the unexpected happens, probably even more often than the expected happens.

The good news: both kids were cavity free. The not so good news: Makenna is going to have a harder time biting into an apple for the next year or so that she did a little over a week ago.

Upon doing x-rays of Makenna's teeth they quickly noticed in the x-ray that there was something "not right" going on with Makenna's top left middle tooth. Even to my untrained eye it was evident that things were not as they should be.

Once the doctor was able to look at the x-rays it was quickly determined that Makenna's tooth had developed an abscess above it. At some point she must have hit the tooth hard enough to damage the roots of the tooth. I can't remember any particular time that this would have happened, but I can attest to the fact that there have been some cut lips and bleeding mouths before as a result of falls or running into things. Just nothing that I had ever thought would have done serious damage.

Anyway, an abscess had developed and was becoming infected and so the tooth needed to be pulled. It just happened to work out that she had not had anything to eat or drink before her apt since it was so early in the morning. So they were able to pull the tooth then and there. It was nice being able to just get it done, but it also caught me (and the tooth fairy) very off guard.

Makenna was a trooper about the tooth being pulled. She didn't really know what was happening until the tooth was out. They gave her a tiny little pink treasure box to take the tooth home in (cutest thing ever!!). That night she put her treasure box under her pillow. She had expectations that the tooth fairy was going to bring her a coin (don't know why she thought that, but that works for us!). The next morning there was a bright gold dollar coin under her pillow next to the tooth. The tooth fairy had agreed to allow Makenna to keep the tooth, seeing as it was her very first tooth she has lost.

It is still a bit strange seeing Makenna with her new smile. It certainly makes her look older and more grown up. We better get used to it though because she will probably have this goofy smile for a good year or so until the adult tooth works its way down. She is the envy of her preschool and primary class, since she is the only one in there with a missing tooth.

All the fun adventures with children. It keeps things exciting!

It's kind of hard to tell she is missing a tooth in these pictures, since you just see her bottom teeth right through the gap. But I promise, it is gone. I'll try to get better pictures. Still cute though!