My Brave Little Boy

Z was such a trooper today :) The dentist said that he was the most calm two year old he has ever worked with. It was a very traumatic experience for him but he handled it beautifully. I am so very proud of him and for S for being so strong.

We had to wake Z up to get to the dentist by 8 AM. I kept looking back at him in the car and smiling at him, knowing that the smile I was getting back would be forever altered. I wanted to make a mental note of his beautiful smile and tuck it away into my mind forever. Once we walked into the dentist, I was fighting back tears. I tried to keep busy and actually didn't get a chance to give him a hug when he went in, probably just as well. They wouldn't let my mom go in (they forgot to tell us the one parent rule) and so S and Curious George escorted Z into the room. This worked in my favor, it was really nice to have my mom with me. I started to tear up and she suggested that I go for a walk outside. I paced the parking lot sobbing. I wanted to be in there, I wanted to comfort my baby, it was my fault that we bought the stupid trampoline, my fault that his tooth was coming out and he would be in pain and my fault that his beautiful smile would be changed....all my fault.

Once I was able to pull myself together, I went back in to wait with my mother. It seemed like hours but it was only about 30 minutes before the door opened and S and Z came out. Z looked shell shocked and clung quietly to S. His cheeks were tear stained (from when they gave him the Novacaine) and he was a bit out of it. I rubbed his head and felt a sense of relief....he opened his mouth and I fought back tears again. The hole was much bigger than I thought it would be (I am sure when the gums heal it will not be not so big) and his other tooth looked bigger. I smiled at him and gave him a kiss on his cheek, he was still Z and still adorable.

S went to put him in his car seat and Z began to sob. He did not want to be let go of, he needed to feel close. S pulled him out and hugged him. I asked Z if he wanted daddy to ride in the back with him, he agreed to this. During the ride home S told me all about the procedure and how brave Z was. He only cried during the Novacaine and S doesn't think the gas really did much for Z. He was so proud of him :)

Z would not drink or eat anything once we got home and was very clingy and a bit weepy. We gave him some motrin and let him watch some TV. My mom had bought him a special gift and he enjoyed playing with this very much. The motrin ended up making him loopy (almost drunk) and this was a bit scary. The last time he took motrin was when he was 10 months old and he got so loopy he banged his head against his crib and gave himself a bloody nose! I thought maybe he would have outgrown this reaction but I guess I was wrong. I kept trying to get him to eat or drink but he complained of his tooth hurting.

After S and my mom left, he crawled up on my lap and started to sob. He told me that he didn't want them to take anymore teeth out. He told me that it hurts and wants to keep his teeth. I guess in the office he told S that he wanted to be a turtle (like Franklin) because they don't have teeth! I started to cry, gave him a hug and told him that the dentist wasn't going to take anymore teeth right now. The poor little guy was so confused and trying so hard to make sense of all that had happened.

At noon I finally got him to try to eat something. I showed him how you could take little bites of pancake using the sides of his mouth. He tried this and ended up eating 12 silver dollar pancakes! I then showed him how to drink on the side of his mouth and he downed three sippy cups :) He had been so afraid to hurt his tooth so he kept refusing food and drink but he was starving. I was so relieved that he now had a full belly.

He is asleep now, he passed out quickly from the crazy day. I am so proud of how brave he was and his smile might not be the same but it is still adorable. Tonight we will put his tooth in his special tooth pillow and see what special treat the tooth fairy brings!

The Toddler Tooth Fairy

Z's tooth finally comes out this Thursday and for the past few weeks we have led him through a crash course on baby teeth and the Tooth Fairy. We have read many books (our favorite being Franklin), ordered a special tooth pillow, have said a little "prayer" to the tooth fairy asking for a special present and talked about how the dentist is going to take out his "boo boo" tooth and then it won't hurt him anymore.

This whole concept is a bit old for Z but he seems to be understanding it pretty well, especially the Tooth Fairy part :) In the Franklin book the Tooth Fairy brings different things to different children. One receives money, one a book and one a box of crayons. When we asked Z what he wanted the tooth fairy to leave for him he said, "a box of special crayons so I can draw". Our original plan had been for the Tooth Fairy to leave some money for his piggy bank but how can you refuse such a simple and sweet request?

Now that Z is prepped for what is to come on Thursday, it is time to get daddy ready for the big day. No parent wants to see their child in pain (no matter how big or small) and I know it will be very hard for S to restrain Z while he is crying. Our goal is to not have to put him under which means that S is going to have to do whatever it takes to keep him still so that he takes in enough gas so that the Novocaine shot will not be so painful. I unfortunately can not be in the room because I am pregnant, so my mom and Z's beloved Curious George will be going in my place. It will be a long 30 minutes for me sitting in that waiting room, not being able to be there to comfort Z. But when I think of all of the horrible things that children around the globe are suffering from, it puts this whole thing in perspective and makes me realize how blessed we truly are.

I will let you know how it goes....

That Damn Trampoline!

Well as it turns out, Z is going to have to lose his front tooth :( (For those of you who don't know what I am talking about...check out this post). Last week he smiled at me and his gum was black! We called the dentist and they saw us first thing on Thursday morning. Thankfully my sister L met us there because they had to do an X-Ray. She held him down as he cried and cried....it was sad :( I am surprised they got a picture.

The X-Ray showed that Z's tooth was heavily infected and on its way to infecting the other tooth. They said we caught it just in time but that the tooth would have to be removed. Z's dentist said that he would have to be put under for the procedure and set us up with a consultation with an oral surgeon. They also put him on antibiotics for 5 days.

We met with the oral surgeon yesterday and he said that he would rather not put him under. Since it is only one tooth and it is right up front, it will only take 30 seconds to remove. He wants to give him nitrous oxide (I can't be in the room for the procedure because of the gas), will have S hold him on his lap, give him two injections of Novocaine and then remove the tooth :( Apparently he will cry but will feel very little and shouldn't remember any of it. I am not so sure I believe that! The oral surgeon feels there are too many risks for putting him under for only the one tooth. I told him that Z squirms and screams every time we are at the dentist and wondered if the nitrous would be enough to calm this. He looked at me skeptically (Z was not at all upset during this visit) and tried the mask on him. Z was calm as a cucumber (so not the child who normally goes to the dentist) and practiced breathing in and out of the mask. Still not convinced, I asked the surgeon what he would do if Z were his son (he has a 3 year old), he said he would start with the nitrous oxide and then if things did not go well, we plan to put him under.

So that is the plan, however we couldn't get an appointment for a month and a half! Z's dentist wanted it out within the next 10 days....I might have to call the dentist on that one. They also didn't renew his prescription and his tooth infection is still not cleared up....ugh!

So now it is time to get Z (and S) ready for this experience. We have started talking about the Tooth Fairy but unfortunately most of the books are geared for children 5 and up. I am sure he will be adorable with a missing tooth but I am sorry that he has to lose it so young. The oral surgeon assures me that his speech will not be affected but that is also a concern for me. We will have to wait and see.

All I Want for Christmas is My One Front Tooth....

Let's hope that Z is not singing that song next Christmas!....after all he is only 2 1/2!!! Two weeks ago, my precious (and clumsy) son was jumping on his trampoline that he got for Christmas. I said to him, "Z please hold on to the bar or you will fall." He responded with, "Mommy me fall off and get hurt?" No sooner had he gotten the words out of his mouth but he fell and his two front teeth came down hard on the handle bar! They came down so hard that he bit through the foam handle and had paint from the metal on his tooth :(

There was blood everywhere!! I do not handle things with the mouth very well so I grabbed Z, a towel, boo boo bear (ice pack) and the phone. S had left about 20 minutes before and so he quickly turned around and rushed home. I sat Z down in front of the the TV and tried to get the bleeding to stop. It was very difficult to look into his mouth because he wanted to be held. So I did the only thing a mother could do.....I sobbed along with him (okay, not the smartest thing I have ever done but I felt so bad!).

S came in to find us sitting on the floor together (didn't want blood on the furniture). He tried to look into Z's mouth but he kept pulling away. The bleeding had not stopped and a tiny piece of his tooth (very tiny) was missing. S grabbed the phone and called the dentist and we were in the office an hour later.

Z hates the dentist (about as much as he hates the hairdresser and doctor) and screamed the whole visit. We pinned him down on top of S and the dentist got a good look at his tooth. He told us that it didn't appear to be loose (a good thing) but there was a very good chance that the tooth would change colors or get infected and have to come out. He put Z on a soft food diet for a week and told us he would see us in two weeks (Z's regular cleaning).

We just had his two week appointment this past weekend....the tooth is still not loose but it is gray! The doctor said that it is still too early to tell if the tooth will change back to white or if it will get worse and need to come out :( We have to continue to monitor it. I know it isn't the end of the world, it is just a baby tooth but I hate everything that has to do with the mouth! I can't imagine Z having to have his tooth removed???? They will have to sedate him (there is no other way to do it) and I will feel so guilty...it was my idea to get the stupid trampoline (which he still uses multiple times a day).

So keep your fingers crossed that Z's tooth changes back to white! Because it will be a long 4 years without his front tooth :(

Dental Anxiety

Yesterday morning I woke up and when I came out of my sleepy stupor a feeling of dread came over my body....it was time to go to the DENTIST! I had put off this appointment for two months (I had to cancel it once before because S had a meeting) and I knew there was nothing I could do to get out of it. Feeling sick to my stomach, I forced some breakfast down, brushed my teeth and got into the car.

I hate the DENTIST (not personally...he really is a wonderful man)!! As a child I use to love going to the dentist. It was a fun experience and he always told me what perfect teeth I had...I never had one cavity as a child :) Well as an adult my feelings have changed and I avoided going to the Dentist for three years (so embarrassing). When I finally went to my current dentist, two years ago...he found all sorts of things that were wrong :( I had to have my first 4 fillings and even had to have one of my wisdom teeth out! Now every time I sit in that chair, I wonder what they are going to find.

This trip was to have a mouth guard fitted (I grind my teeth really badly at night) and have two small fillings done (cavity 5 and 6!!). As I pulled into the parking lot, I thought about making a run for it ;) When I finally got in the chair, I really thought I was going to be sick. I adore the dental assistant and we chatted away as I pretended to be anywhere but in that chair (I am such a wimp when it comes to my mouth). The dentist came over with his big needle of Novocaine and I told him I would be listening to my I-Pod during this whole ordeal. He laughed (as he always does) and pretended to be insulted that I didn't like his classical music. I told him that this was my running mix and it would block out the horrible drilling sounds.

If I had remembered what it was like to have a mouth guard fitted, I would have never agreed to it. I have the worst gag reflex and this procedure was awful. They laid me down and put this seaweed jello like substance on a metal tray and stuck it in my mouth for 2 1/2 minutes. Do you realize how long 2 1/2 minutes is??? Bits of the stuff was floating around the back of my throat, my mouth was numb and I was trying not to gag. I made it through the first tray but when he went to do the second tray, a big chunk of it broke off and headed straight to the back of my throat. When I went to swallow, it got stuck and I started choking. They quickly sat me up, banged on my back, water was squirting everywhere (this device has water hoses), the dentist could not get the tray out of my mouth...I thought I was going to die! He finally got it out of my mouth, I choked up the big piece and begged for the assistant to suction out the rest of the hardened jello in my mouth. It was AWFUL. They then decided to have me sit up for this procedure and we had to start the long 2 1/2 minutes all over again.

After this procedure, the fillings were a piece of cake. My next appointment for a cleaning is in May. I vow to start flossing and rinsing everyday so that I don't have to get anymore fillings! From now on, I would like to see my dentist for cleanings only :)