My Achy Breaky Heart

We spent most of Saturday evening at the Children's Hospital. Ayla tripped and fell, broke off a chunk of her front tooth, and swallowed it.

After talking on the phone to both the HealthLink and an emergency dentist, the consensus was that we'd better just bring her in to the hospital to have her checked. This was the first time in 18 months that we have had to bring Ayla to the hospital...we were hoping for 18 years hospital-free, but alas, it was not to be.  After her initial cry, she was quiet and content to suck on her soother all the way to the hospital. Once we arrived at the hospital she was running around, climbing on things, and talking to the nurses, so it didn't appear to be causing her much pain or discomfort (a very good thing!). The doctor took a look in her mouth and told us that the damage seemed to be to the enamel only, not to the root or nerves, so this is the 'best case scenario' in terms of tooth damage (another very good thing!).  He did, however, want to get an xray done to make sure that the tooth piece was not lodged in her throat or lung.

The xray techs were SO great, and very impressed with Ayla's cooperativeness (she was *such* a trooper the *whole* time). I was not allowed to hold her hand while the xrays were being taken, just in case I'm pregnant (I'm not, btw, but they were sticklers and still wouldn't let me). Greg stayed close to her and held her little hand, and I was banished to stand behind a glass shield on the other side of the room. I'll tell you, there is nothing quite like watching from afar as your tiny child - your own flesh and blood - is stretched out (almost) naked on a table underneath a giant machine, with fear-filled eyes for a lack of understanding with what is going on. But she remained so calm and so brave. I just wanted to rush over and hug her and scoop her up.  But she had her daddy close by, and she was okay with that. Once, when Greg had to let go of her for a minute while they repositioned her, she reached both her little hands up over her head and pleaded "daddy!" So pitiful.  This whole ordeal really opened my eyes to what parents of sick children have to endure. Ayla is not sick; actually she is very healthy and the xray was simply a precautionary measure. This; however, did not make it any easier to watch. And my heart aches. Especially for those parents. And their babies.

The xrays showed that she had indeed simply ingested the tooth piece, which again was the 'best case scenario' (more very good things!).  She should 'pass' it in 3-4 days.

Now, about her tooth. We went to the dentist this morning. The dentist agreed that it is a good sign that the tooth is not causing Ayla any pain, but she also said that it looks like the tooth shifted a bit. She said it feels a tiny bit loose, as does the one next to it. She said that she may loose these teeth earlier than 'normal'. Basically, there is not much they do when things like this happen to baby teeth. Some questions I asked the dentist:

• Will the tooth die? Maybe. Maybe not. We'll have to wait and see.
• If the tooth does die, how long before it turns grey? Maybe 1 month, maybe 6 months, maybe 5 years. We'll have to wait and see.
• Will this affect her permanent teeth? Maybe. Maybe not. We'll have to wait and see. She may need braces one day, but she may have needed braces anyway - if she does need braces, there will be no way to know for sure if this accident was to 'blame'.
• What do I need to watch for? If her gum starts to get swollen or I see a raised bump on her gum, this may mean that the tooth is dead and there is an infection. This would require immediate action.
• And then I paid her $62.50 and we went on our merry way.

So that's the way it is.  Accidents happen. Whatch gonna do - cry about it? (I already tried that, and it didn't help). Ayla doesn't seem bothered by it. She's eating, drinking, sleeping, playing and being happy-go-lucky as normal, and that's what's important.

So, for the next 4-5 years, she is going to have a little bit of a crooked smile.

It's growing on us already. :)



ps-anyone else out there go through a similar thing with their kids? I could use some encouragement/commiserating right now. -_-