A red-letter day (or maybe a white-toothed day ...)

Visiting the dentist last month for cleanings, I was dismayed to learn that Maggie had not one, but two loose teeth! I knew it was only a matter of time - several friends the same age (or younger!) had lost teeth already - but I was in total denial about it happening to my own child. For some reason, I didn't think teeth fell out so early; I thought it would happen around age 7 or 8. And I was dreading it. Children look so different when their big teeth come in ... I just wasn't ready for such a major change in my precious girl's appearance.

I said as much to Sally, our hygienist, as she was examining Maggie's teeth last month. She was poking Maggie's teeth with that little metal curvy thing (surely there's a more technical name) when suddenly, I heard Sally inhale sharply as she leaned down toward Maggie. "Don't tell Mommy," she whispered, "but two of your teeth are loose!" Maggie was thrilled; I, on the other hand, feigned excitement on the outside while dying just a little bit on the inside. I seriously felt like I'd been punched in the gut. Sally reassured me that they weren't that loose yet, and it might be several more months before the Tooth Fairy paid her first visit.

"I have two loose teeth and a big-girl tooth coming in," Maggie proudly announced to everyone we met - old friends, new friends, waitresses, neighbors ... she was so happy to finally have her first loose teeth. And she played and played with them. Finally, this past Tuesday, we had a breakthrough. Literally. She came up to me from playing and said, "Mommy, I think I just broke my tooth." I checked and it wasn't broken; I think she'd simply wiggled it a little too much and part of the root (or whatever ...) broke free - at any rate it was a lot looser than it had been. It was also a bit discolored, and after two days of Maggie complaining that it hurt, I joked, "Do we just need to call Sally and let her look at it?" I didn't think Maggie would go for another trip to the dentist, but she surprised me. Not only did she agree to this, she hounded and hounded me until I called for an appointment. My conversation went something like this:

Me: "Hi, my name is LeeAnne V. This may sound weird, but I wanted to see if I could get just five or ten minutes with Sally; my 5-year-old daughter thinks she's broken her first loose tooth, and we really just need Sally to reassure her that everything's OK."
Receptionist: "Oh. So I can put you in for a cleaning with Sally ..."
Me: "No, she just had a cleaning last month. We don't need a cleaning, or anything involved, really. We're just talking about a nervous 5-year-old. All I need is five minutes with Sally."
R: "But Sally isn't a doctor. If your daughter is having trouble, she needs to see a dentist."
Me, thinking to myself that this woman obviously doesn't have children: "OK, I don't want to cause any trouble, but I really don't think she needs to see a dentist. We're talking 99% psychological here. A 5-year-old nervous about a loose tooth. It's not a medical emergency."
R: "I'm putting you down for a 1:30 appointment with Dr. A. He's great with kids."
Me: "Thanks. See you at 1:30."

So we headed to the dentist on Thursday, Maggie's anxiety now heightened at seeing a new-to-her dentist. While waiting, Maggie had to use the potty, so I took her back to the restroom, and on the way we passed Sally in the hall. She gave Maggie a hug and asked what we were doing back so soon. While Maggie was in the bathroom, I told her why we were there, and when Maggie came out, Sally explained that she'd just pulled out more of her tooth and it was OK. This made Mag feel infinitely better, so when it was time to see the dentist, she was OK with things. The dentist, who was great with her (and who, I'm pretty sure, used to be one of our student orientation leaders back when I had a professional life), looked at the tooth and said the discoloration was from bruising underneath and noted that it would probably come out quickly on its own. He even offered to pull it out right then, saying he'd put some numbing gel on it and she wouldn't feel a thing. At this suggestion, Maggie clamped her hand over her mouth while I shook my head "no" so fast I thought I might incur whiplash. "OK," he laughed. "But if it isn't out in 10 days, call us back and we might want to look at it again."

Ten days.

At least they didn't charge me for the visit.

By Friday afternoon, Maggie had changed her mind and wanted Dr. A to pull her tooth. I explained that their office would be closing soon and we'd have to wait until Monday. On Sunday, we were eating at Acropolis after church; Maggie bit down on a pineapple chunk and then freaked. Her tooth wasn't out, but it was crazy loose ... at times perpendicular to her gum. She didn't eat another bite the entire meal. Instead, she first started to cry (I think it scared her). I snuggled her as our server came over to make sure everything was OK. When I told her what was going on, she brought Maggie a balloon and added her cheers and encouragement to Maggie's efforts. By now, Maggie really wanted that tooth out, but she was too afraid to pull it herself, or to have Bobby or me do it. She wiggled it. She pushed it forward with her tongue. She pushed it backward with her index finger. It bent waaaay to the front, and then waaaay to the back, but it wouldn't pop out on its own.

"Can we call Sally and have her come to our house?" Maggie asked shyly. When that wasn't an option, she suggested our friend Stacy. Stacy used to be a nurse and is married to a doctor, so her medical knowledge has saved me on more than one occasion. (A mutual friend calls their house the Tapp Minute Clinic of East Brainerd.) I texted Stacy to explain the situation and ask if they'd be home later. As luck had it, they were just heading out ... and we were just paying our check. They pulled into the Acropolis parking lot as we were leaving the restaurant, so Stacy pulled the tooth right there in the parking lot!

And we got it on tape, thanks to Bobby's iPhone!!

I absolutely love how quickly Maggie's surprise turns to glee - you can't help but smile when you see that big grin at the end! I am so proud of how brave she was! She was really nervous - in fact, when you see her hand grab Stacy's hand, I'm pretty sure she was trying to chicken out. Stacy didn't miss a beat and just kept on going ... being a nurse and a mom, she knows that the anticipation is often the worst part. Maggie said it didn't hurt at all, and she now wants Stacy to pull all of her teeth.

Snaggletooth girl!

8-year-old Mattie offered moral support while her mom was tugging.

Fortunately for us, the Tapp Minute Clinic is available for splinter removals, suture-removal advice, and rash evaluations. We highly recommend the tooth extraction service.