Well, I tried my best to find a way to save Asher’s tooth from being pulled.  But it had to go.  It was abscessed and in case your child ever has an abscessed tooth, they pull ‘em no matter what.  For an adult, a dentist would try a root canal and other procedures to save your tooth.  But for a child who will lose said tooth in a few years, and who wouldn’t possibly be able to go through a root canal even if you would want to spend that money on a tooth that is eventually doomed anyway- they pull ‘em.

We had to be there at 7:50 this morning.  It was a mad dash to get us all dressed, fed, and out the door by 7:30 (kindergarten is going to be a rough adjustment in the fall.)  We got there and after having all weekend to gather my nerves I had come to the conclusion that I would go in with him no matter how horrible it was.  I would rather be with him than sitting in the waiting room listening to him scream.  But the hygenist looked at my pregnant belly and said, “I think it might actually be better if his daddy comes back so he can hold him down.”  So I waited in the waiting room with Amai.

By God’s grace, she had to go to the bathroom right about the time he would probably start screaming.  And she took forever, so all I could do was pray for my “baby” who was surely enduring hell in the dentist’s chair.  I thanked Him the whole time I was waiting for Amai to finish that I wasn’t sitting in the waiting room, listening helplessly to Asher scream.

We came out of the bathroom and had not even gotten back into our seats in the waiting room when I heard them open the door and bring my crying son out.  I rushed to him, but he looked furious and wouldn’t let me hold him.  His upper lip was swolen from the shot and I could see just a little blood on his lower lip, but mainly I saw that he wasn’t sad- he was throwing a temper tantrum.  “This is strange” I thought.

Then I looked at the dentist and hygenist.  The hygenist said, “That was just amazing.  He didn’t cry once during the whole procedure.  He let me put the numbing ointment on his gums without even moving.  Then he let the dentist give him two shots without crying or fighting.  And the tooth pulling was the same- no tears.”

“Well, what made him cry?” I asked.

“We took the toy that we let him hold away from him after it was all over.”

Figures.  I’m so relieved it’s over.  So sad to see that hole in his mouth.  But so glad he wasn’t in pain.  Just for the record- I cried when we got in the car anyway.  I’m pregnant, I can’t help it!

I’ll post a picture later if I can get him to smile for me.  Who knew that the tooth fairy would visit our second child first?