The Truth about the Tooth

September 2009, all her teeth in tact :)


The morning she had the tooth removed, little clown! This was about an hour after the tooth was pulled!

Several people have noticed the cute little gap that now graces Miss Hannah's smile. When she first visited the dentist, we noticed some transparency on one of her front teeth. Further investigation would confirm that this particular tooth was damaged and she had severe decay just at the root. Honestly, we are surprised that she did not have more pain, the dentist thinks that perhaps it had been this way for a long time and the tooth was pretty much dead. However, we ran the risk of an absess. We all agreed, the tooth would need to come out. Our plans were quickened when the tooth broke as Hannah chomped happily on a pretzel. It was jagged, rough and the top surface had cracked off.

I did a double take and then another and was slightly panicked when I realized that this expedited things considerably. Just before Thanksgiving, Hannah had her tooth pulled. She was a champion...the dentist was a champion...me? Not.so.much! Hannah has taught me many things about life; she is a brave survivor and though this is the story of one little tooth, it represents a host of beautiful character traits in Hannah.

When it was all done. She came home removed the packing herself (oh yes she did!) and demanded a soft pretzel! When said pretzel was inhaled, Hannah gazed adoringly in the mirror and said, "There, now I am pretty like Emily." As much as I dreaded her having that tooth removed, I realize now, certain things are necessary to move us forward, give us strength, increase our trust.

For the record. Hannah has been back to the dentist twice since the extraction and has no fear at all of her beloved Dr. G!