The Boy was wild and crazy today. Not sure what got into him but he was full of the sillies. Earlier this afternoon, he ran up the steps from the family room and pitched forward, slamming his chin on the metal doorjamb at the top. I saw it happen from the living room and cringed as his face made contact, knowing this was a good reason to cry. He came running over for comfort, screaming at the top of his lungs and that's when I saw it in his open, wailing mouth -- a full tooth behind his bottom front tooth!
My stomach did a nosedive because I first thought it was jawbone poking through. Keep in mind that I'm so squeamish that I never looked at my c-section incisions and you'll understand the panic I felt in that moment. On closer inspection I realized that it was actually a tooth! A full tooth, erupted out of nowhere! I don't like things out of place in general so I was panicking over this tooth that seemingly popped up when he smacked his chin as well as because it's not in the spot where it should be since the baby tooth is still there occupying that space.
Tom was mildly concerned but not enough to offer to call the dentist, leaving me to look like the hysterical mother that I am. First, I called my cousin Lauren, pediatric trauma nurse and first responder in all of our medical emergencies. When I couldn't get ahold of her, I called the dentist's emergency number. Dr. M. found the whole thing amusing, especially my insistence that the tooth wasn't there before the fall. Honestly, though, it wasn't! I am not as on-the-ball as I was pre-pregnancy but I think I would have noticed an extra tooth when I help him brush! It's really very noticeable -- when he talks to me, it draws my eyes like it has a tractor beam. At any rate, Dr. M said that 10% of adult teeth come in while the baby tooth is still in place. She said to see if the new tooth is loose. If it's a little loose, leave it alone and let the root finish taking hold. If it's very loose, she might want to see him. (MIGHT???) Moot point since he wouldn't let us touch it but he wasn't complaining of any pain beyond the bruised chin.
Since I couldn't get Lauren and Dr. M was a bit blase for my liking, I called my local girls for input. Megen has 2 boys older than Jack and while Tori's son is younger, I can always count on her to calm me without condescension, bless her heart. Meg wasn't home but Tori was and she settled me down by telling me that this happened with each and every one of her adult teeth as they grew in. Her mother called her shark mouth (shark teeth? I forget now!) which I shared with Jack who thought it was AWESOME. She had to have two of her baby teeth yanked (YIKES!) but it was no big deal. Spoke with Megen later and she had the same thing happen with her son. Lauren thinks she has seen this in her patients and wasn't concerned about her godson because of it. Apparently this is more common than 10% of teeth!
While we were at the Phantoms game, Jack was relaxed enough to give me a good look and that's when I noticed that there are actually TWO teeth growing in. One looks to be fully grown and the other has only just erupted through the gumline. Not sure how he would react, I told Jack this was super cool. I'm calling him Double Tooth Tobin which he loves. Hopefully, the baby teeth will fall out soon although that seems unlikely as they aren't loose. I have a feeling I'll be dragging him to the dentist for my own peace of mind next week even though it is probably unnecessary. I just don't want to take any chances with his permanent teeth.
Here is a shot of the invaders:
3 comments:
I'm seriously LOL at how you couldn't notice that!!!
holy crap! thats so crazy!
Shark Teeth chiming in here -- that pic confirms my initial over-the-phone diagnosis, and now your boy and I will start our own club. The DT Gang (which will stand for Double-Tooth, not detox). I still can't believe that the fall bonked those teeth through, but hey, strange things be happenin' every day.
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