This Calls for an Extraction!
I knew this day would come with two rough and tumble boys, I was just hoping it wouldn't happen as soon as it did. Tonight we made our first trip to the ER with Jeremiah. He had to have one of his upper front teeth extracted. I am a dental assistant and have quite a bit of experience in this department. I don't know if it helped or just increased my panic.
Ryan and I were folding the mountainous pile of laundry on our bed while the boys played on the floor. Last I saw was Jeremiah standing by our bedroom door. Next, I heard him fall, a moment of paused silence, then frantic crying. Ryan was able to get to him before I did. My first reaction was just to brush it off. He just fell and is being dramatic. Next I hear Ryan say, "Uh...Renee! He has blood ALL over him!" I ran over and there was indeed blood all over his mouth. My initial thought was that he bit his tongue or cheek, but upon further inspection I could see his front tooth hanging by the gingival tissue. I ran as fast as I could to get a cold wash cloth to clean up the blood and to have Jeremiah hold to keep the swelling down.
This is when all my dental knowledge hit me at once. Every scenario involved him having lifelong problems with his deciduous teeth (permanent). I just didn't know how to process it all and completely lost my cool.
We got both boys packed up and headed to the ER, which is thankfully only a 3-5 minute drive from our apartment. By the time we got there, Jeremiah didn't even remember what happened and it didn't keep him from demolishing every single plant in the waiting area. The nurses finally got us back and the doctor on call talked to an oral surgeon that my office works with and ultimately recommended getting the tooth pulled, we agreed.
Now came the hardest part. I willingly volunteered to stay in the room while I watched three people papoose my son, apply local anesthetic, and hold him down while the doctor extracted his tooth. I have seen dozens and dozens of injections and extractions, but there is nothing like it when it's your own child. I have some toughening up to do. One of the male nurses holding Jeremiah even shed a tear...there is hope in humanity. As I was holding my son after trying to calm him down, the doctor put the tooth in a specimen cup and handed it to Jeremiah. All was suddenly right in the world! A new rattle made him all better.
My poor baby is going to have a little gappy smile until he is about six years old and his permanent tooth comes in. My identical twins won't be so identical anymore. My professional opinion is that the other tooth is fine, but we're getting it looked at Tuesday. For now, the boys are in bed and it's a 50/50 chance whether it will be a long night or not. Who knows, maybe Liam is next.
Ryan and I were folding the mountainous pile of laundry on our bed while the boys played on the floor. Last I saw was Jeremiah standing by our bedroom door. Next, I heard him fall, a moment of paused silence, then frantic crying. Ryan was able to get to him before I did. My first reaction was just to brush it off. He just fell and is being dramatic. Next I hear Ryan say, "Uh...Renee! He has blood ALL over him!" I ran over and there was indeed blood all over his mouth. My initial thought was that he bit his tongue or cheek, but upon further inspection I could see his front tooth hanging by the gingival tissue. I ran as fast as I could to get a cold wash cloth to clean up the blood and to have Jeremiah hold to keep the swelling down.
This is when all my dental knowledge hit me at once. Every scenario involved him having lifelong problems with his deciduous teeth (permanent). I just didn't know how to process it all and completely lost my cool.
We got both boys packed up and headed to the ER, which is thankfully only a 3-5 minute drive from our apartment. By the time we got there, Jeremiah didn't even remember what happened and it didn't keep him from demolishing every single plant in the waiting area. The nurses finally got us back and the doctor on call talked to an oral surgeon that my office works with and ultimately recommended getting the tooth pulled, we agreed.
Now came the hardest part. I willingly volunteered to stay in the room while I watched three people papoose my son, apply local anesthetic, and hold him down while the doctor extracted his tooth. I have seen dozens and dozens of injections and extractions, but there is nothing like it when it's your own child. I have some toughening up to do. One of the male nurses holding Jeremiah even shed a tear...there is hope in humanity. As I was holding my son after trying to calm him down, the doctor put the tooth in a specimen cup and handed it to Jeremiah. All was suddenly right in the world! A new rattle made him all better.
My poor baby is going to have a little gappy smile until he is about six years old and his permanent tooth comes in. My identical twins won't be so identical anymore. My professional opinion is that the other tooth is fine, but we're getting it looked at Tuesday. For now, the boys are in bed and it's a 50/50 chance whether it will be a long night or not. Who knows, maybe Liam is next.
Copyright 2013 ->Renee Sunberg
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