By the Skin of HisTeeth

This past summer, I wrote this post about my son's two bottom teeth coming in behind his baby teeth- resulting in two rows of teeth like a shark. A few months later, when his baby teeth were still not loose, we had to pay an oral surgeon to have them removed. Trust me, it was not cheap.

You can imagine my dread about three months ago when I noticed his top two front teeth coming in. The good thing, is it appeared that they were at least making his baby teeth loose. Then one day, I wiggled a tooth and it was noticeably loose. I was so excited that I was not going to have to pay someone to do what potato chips, apples, corn on the cob or just a good knuckle sandwich from his sister could accomplish.

And yet- nothing. Noah started guarding his mouth like an Egyptian tomb and would not let anyone near his mouth to wiggle them. Hush, hush plans were made and deals may or may not have been struck with Zoe that she would receive a new princess outfit if she could manage to knock those teeth out. Anything to avoid paying for it again.

Three weeks ago, his two top front baby teeth began sticking straight out. I mean, the boy looked like he could eat corn on the cob through a picket fence. The adult teeth were pushing them out and yet, he still would not let anyone near them.

Two and a half weeks ago, I picked Noah up from school early. As I stood in the school lobby, peering down the hallway, suddenly he appeared. Something didn't look right. He smiled at me and one tooth was hanging lower than the other. When we got in the van, I told him his tooth looked funny and he admitted he had gone to the nurse at lunch because it was so loose it was bothering him. She had given him some Ambesol or Orajel or something similar and advised him to PULL IT! I casually asked him to smile for me so I could see why it looked strange. He did and I instantly saw it was hanging by a tiny thread. Without hesitating, I snapped into Ninja mode and with one swipe, I grabbed it and yanked it out. He hollered and then realized it was out and it was done. One down, one to go.

Later that evening, the remaining tooth moved over in the missing tooth's spot. Sort of like I do to my husband as soon as he gets out of bed in the morning. That tooth was hanging sideways, twisted and crooked across his mouth and he looked like he came from the river bottom.

Nothing could persuade Noah to let us pull the other tooth. Not even the potential that maybe the tooth fairy could give him extra money for two teeth at once.

We were back to square one. I kept telling him to quit smiling in public because he was embarrassing me. He kept swatting at me everytime I came too close to his mouth. And EVERYONE we came across told him to PULL THAT TOOTH!!


Finally last week, his father- who had been silently staying out of it- reached his breaking point. He grabbed Noah and pinned him down on the couch and pulled the tooth. Once again, Noah screamed and then realized it was all over with and proclaimed it "no big deal".

I only hope we don't have to go through this drama for every tooth. If we do, I think the tooth fairy owes ME money!