Snaggle Tooth

Last October when Jackson had his first dentist visit the hygienist told me that one of his teeth was wiggling a little!  How exciting...his first loose tooth.  She said that she wouldn't be surprised if it was out (or very close to coming out) in the next six months.  Well, six months came and went and the tooth had barely loosened at all.  By the end of school, though, we were really starting to see some progress!  I told him that I thought he would lose it over the summer before school started back.  Well, he started back to school last Wednesday with all teeth in tact.  I was starting to think that the tooth would never come out!

Finally on Saturday night when he was brushing his teeth before bed he spit out his toothpaste and it was tinged with blood.  ??  I inspected his mouth to see what might be going on and found that his loose tooth had separated from the gum in the back and was suddenly much looser!  THE TIME HAD COME!  I was so excited.  Is that wrong?  It's just such a BIG moment!  I wasn't excited about the pain he was about to endure, and I'm not trying to wish his childhood away.  It helped that Jackson was excited, too.  Perhaps it was nervous-excitment.  Anyway, I was determined to get the tooth out myself, but it took me three tries.  After the first 2 tries Jackson was ready to leave the tooth for another day.  But it was just hanging there, and I told him that he might swallow it after biting into some...I don't know...AIR!  It was barely hanging on!  One more pull and it was out.

After we put pressure on the hole for a minute I had him swish with some warm salt water.  That's what my mom always made me do!  (Warm because it helps the salt dissolve and salt because it helps heal the gum.)   He immediately went to get a magnifying glass so he could inspect that tooth closer!  Then it was under the pillow for the Tooth Fairy.

OH...THE TOOTH FAIRY?  Jason and I NEVER have cash on us!  I started wondering if Jackson would think it was weird to wake up with a check from mom and dad under his pillow.  I knew I didn't have a dollar bill, but I thought fifty cents would be an appropriate payment for a baby tooth.  So, I began searching through my change purse to find two quarters.  Hmmm...nickels, dimes, and pennies.  And not too many of those.  But then, I saw it!  One beautiful, shiny gold dollar coin that I had gotten as change somewhere (maybe the Washington DC subway?) and saved because I thought it was cool.  Perfect!  Jason and I crept into our sleeping son's room and made the exchange.

The next morning he was so excited!  It was really cute.

So, what did I do with the tooth?  Well, it seems weird to throw it away, but it also seems weird to keep it.  So, I kept it in a box for now.  I'll probably end up throwing it away in a few more weeks when the "specialness" of the moment has worn off.  I can just imagine how creepy it would be for Jackson or Selah as teenagers or adults to be rummaging through my stuff trying to find something and then come across a box of teeth.  That would be too weird.

So, that's the story!  On a side note, the tooth right beside his new hole is getting pretty loose now too!  But who knows how long it will take it to come out!