3 Tries...2 teeth...1 BIG Smile!

When I was a kid, I wanted to be many things when I grew up.  Some of the things I wanted to be (not in any order) were a doctor, maybe a dentist, a husband, and a father.  After cutting my knee open at cub scout camp, having my ankle scrubbed at the hospital to remove an infection that gave me blood poisoning, and chewing the side of my cheek raw instead of chewing the chicken nuggets in my mouth after my dentist appointment, I found the desire to work in those professions fleeting.

In the years after those events, I have become two of the things I aspired to be...a husband and a father.  Funny thing is, as a husband and a father, I have often played the role of a doctor to my family.  Last night, I took on the role of a dentist.

Jackson's two front teeth have been loose since Christmas.  If we were to modify the lyrics to a song to adapt to this situation, it would be something like, "All I've wanted since Christmas is to lose my two front teeth."

Jackson bit down on something last night and it really hurt his loose teeth.  He noticed they were a little looser and began to twist one of them with his tongue and fingers.  He approached his mother and asked her to pull out his teeth.  After touching them lightly and seeing Jackson's face cringe with pain, I was called in to perform the task.

I readied my tools (a leatherman with pliers) and had Jackson sit down on the counter top.  I yanked on the first tooth and the pliers slipped off of his tooth.  He quickly put his hand to his mouth to feel if his tooth was gone.  He felt his tooth with his fingers and had a disappointed look on his face as he realized the tooth was still there.  Then, as he pulled his hand out of his mouth...he noticed he had his tooth in between his fingers!

We had a brief intermission while we joined Jackson in his excitement and took a few pictures.

After removing the first front tooth, the second front tooth became very loose.  I grasped my leatherman and went in to finish the job.  I pulled down on the tooth and the leatherman slipped off again.  This time Jackson didn't like the pain he felt.  However, he exclaimed, "It will only hurt for a minute, but then it will be OK."  I assured him I wouldn't let the leatherman come off of his tooth again.  Having reassured him and regained his belief in me as his dentist, as his father, I had to make sure I didn't let him down.  This time I really clamped down on the pliers.  We counted down from 3...2...1...and out that tooth came!

Jackson's moment of pain and shock at seeing a little blood on the tooth was instantly replaced with excitement and realization that he had lost two teeth in one night!

   Here is a picture of Jackson without his grill:

Congratulations, Jackson, on losing both of your front teeth in one night and giving me the chance to fulfill my long-lost desire to be a dentist.  Please, just don't be too eager to help me be a doctor again.