A Trip to the Dentist

Last summer on our way to Michigan for a visit, Ella tripped in the Memphis airport and chipped her front tooth. I've been keeping my eye on it ever since. About a month or so ago I noticed the gum above it was filled with fluid and my husband guessed the tooth was abscessed. I put off going to the dentist mostly because we don't have dental insurance and I hate pulling money out of our emergency fund -- even though this is exactly why we have the fund. But after a month of gums swelling, it was time to go.

I have to say that we found the best pediatric dentist in the world! The office is pink and purple and the staff all wear tee shirts. They have Disney movies playing where the kids can watch them while being worked on. Ella had her nails polished while waiting! It was amazing and the prices were reasonable (they gave us a decent cash discount).

Unfortunately, the tooth has to come out. Did I mention it is her RIGHT FRONT TOOTH!! She will have a gap until the adult tooth grows in somewhere between 6 and 9 years old. I don't even have any cavities so I have no idea what to expect from the procedure (even though they walked me through it and assured me it will be tougher on me than her). I hate putting my kids through something like this (Miles' surgery in June was an utter nightmare for me thanks to his bad reaction to the anesthesia), but if left in the infection in the tooth will most likely spread to other parts of her body. I'm doing my best to prepare her, but there is only so much I can say. Thankfully, her strong will and independence make her one tough nut so I'm sure she'll make it through just fine. If only I could say the same about me!