Extra! Extra!

When I was 18, I had my five wisdom teeth taken out.

Yes, 5. I had an extra one that they had to break apart and dig out. It obviously wasn't making me any smarter.

Your face hurts right now, doesn't it?

My boy apparently inherited this weird trait from me. A few weeks ago we discovered that he had an extra tooth growing on the roof of his mouth! He complained that the top of his mouth was swollen in one spot and kept bugging him. The first time he told me I assumed he had just burned it on some pizza (you know how you get that little dangly thing after you take a bite too soon?) so I let it go. A month later he complained again, so I actually gave a look and noticed a chip of white coming through the roof of his mouth. I tried to contain my awe, but to no avail. He burst into tears, imagining the pain involved in getting it fixed.

So I calmed him, and explained to him that kids have all kinds of weird things that happen when their teeth are growing in, that they have to have them pulled, and shaved down, and moved around. No big deal. We ended up joking about it afterward while we waited for him to get in to the dentist. Which was today.

His dad took him in just to get x-rays today, and then they were going to figure out a plan of when to undergo the fixin'. An hour after his scheduled appointment he runs into my office with a little plastic green treasure chest, inside of which was a deformed molar, with the complete root intact. It was at least a half an inch long, I wish I had my camera with me so I could post a picture. Nucky! He was so brave. They decided just to give him some novacaine and cut it open and pull it out. I could tell right before he left that the shot was wearing off, so he and his dad were going to stop for some pain medication and perhaps a good cold vanilla shake. I will be headed to the store for popsicles after work.

I am sure glad his dad took him.