Moonlit Narratives Blog

Oh, I almost forgot to mention… I requested to take a look at my tooth after the extraction (I know some of you are saying “eww” right now). I remembered Dr. L said I could look at it but couldn’t have it. I didn’t get to ask him why (not that I would have seriously taken it home). I told my husband about the dentist’s response, he teased me and said, “don’t you know that adult teeth are worth ten times that of children’s according to the Tooth Fairy; it’s at least $2.50… and your dentist is probably rich from all the collections he’s been accumulating.” That was a pretty funny thought. I really wonder what the office does with the extracted teeth?

Below, is a picture of a tooth pillow. This pillow keepsake is supposed to keep the tooth safe and secure for the Tooth Fairy. I guess it’s an item of “common knowledge,” apparently not for me.

*Photocredit: http://www.ultimatebabyboutique.com

Picture of a Very Cute Tooth Pillow. FOR THE TOOTH FAIRY (Only You Have to Get the Tooth from Dr. L's Office). Could I still get something for it since the tooth was mine? =)

I was actually a little nervous today. Why? I have no idea. I’ve been through enough dental procedures within these past several years, I really don’t have an excuse to be nervous anymore. The extraction went pretty smoothly. Didn’t feel a thing. I made sure they gave me enough lidocaine gel before using the lidocaine-filled syringe. I still can’t believe a healthy tooth had to be sacrificed =(. Dr. L examined the slightly “loose” tooth and thought it was within the norm of having braces. I sat in the waiting room again trying to put pressure over the “surgical” site to stop the bleeding. I was determined to not leave without a full mouth of archwires and elastic ligatures. I was warned Dr. B would not proceed until the bleeding ceased. Remember I had to plead with him to make this a back-to-back procedure and he was reluctant to give-in. The lidocaine wore off about a half hour after the extraction and I started to feel some pain. I began to worry a little but, I’m so grateful the pain disappeared by the time Dr. B was ready to work on my braces. Though I complained about the clear elastic ligatures taking on the color of my food, I wasn’t brave enough to choose among red, blue, green, or purple. I hate to admit this but I would have went for pink or smoke color if he had them (this is the kid in me). So now it’s round two with the clears and more potential (okay, guaranteed) staining. I still have a big jar of pickles left that no one will help me eat. My husband hates pickles. Right now I’m slowly trying to finish my salad but I have a minor aching from the braces so I’ll just drink tea or whatever and try to eat something soft later. The visit in total took two hours but now I can finally start my countdown to beautiful teeth. This is not an experience for the faint-of-heart. I think the weirdest part of today’s ordeal isn’t the braces but the gap in-between my teeth (I can feel the edge of one tooth and the gap on the other side). Can’t wait until the gap closes; I’m hoping it’s about a month or less…that’s why I wanted the archwire for the lowers so badly. I was instructed to avoid rinsing my mouth for 24 hours due to the extraction (probably to not interfere with clot formation) but I think I’m going to bend the rule a little and do some gentle rinsing later tonight. I don’t want to go to bed with food stuck to my braces.

September 18, 2008