My littlest baby child is 9 now. He is phenomenal guys…..like seriously the coolest little dude around. He is hilarious, and most of the time he doesn’t even realize it. He has such a dry sense of humor that you can’t help but crack up when he makes a joke, because of his serious demeanor. He is my literal child. Everything in Bradley’s world is black and white. He wants to know what’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen, why it’s going to happen, and how it will be happening. He likes to have a plan and know exactly what to expect. He is organized, clean, stylish, and more routine than anyone in my house.
When he was 4, he came into our home as our foster son. His first 4 years weren’t easy, so a trip to the dentist was first on the agenda. We ended that trip with 7 teeth pulled for cavities, and 8 crowns placed on remaining baby teeth. Needless to say, the dentist has never been his favorite place. I can’t say I blame him. 🤷🏻♀️
The last 5 years have been spent teaching him how to care for his teeth. Since having his teeth pulled at the tender age of 4, he’s been so good about taking care of them! He has been part of the “no cavity club” for 5 years my friends!! He really does well with his teeth now. However, he still likes the occasional piece of candy, that he isn’t supposed to have. Twizzlers and Jelly Beans are a weakness. We typically visit the dentist once or twice a year just to have a crown put back on.
Which brings me to our visit today. He came to me a few weeks ago and notified me that it was time for our annual visit, as he’d lost a crown. Perfect….let’s get it put back on, just in time for Halloween. I’m certain we will have another visit after he attacks an entire bag of Halloween candy, but none the less, we went today to have it placed back on his tooth.
We made it through the checkup portion of the appointment with flying colors! He was cool, calm and collected. He got to sign the “no cavity wall”, and was all set to have his crown glued back on. Just one minor problem….there was a hole in it. We’d have to have a new one placed instead. The teeth had also shifted, which meant he’d need to be numbed to get the new crown in place. The word shot was mentioned and tears quickly followed.
I tried my best to comfort him, frustrated with the fact that life just isn’t fair. My precious little man, works so hard to care for his teeth. He prides himself on his flossing skills. No matter how much he works, he’s still dealing with the mistakes of his bio parents. If his teeth were properly cared for when he was young, he wouldn’t even have crowns. He wouldn’t need a needle in his gums today, I wouldn’t be holding him while he cried out of fear…..
My thoughts were interrupted when the most amazing hygienist came in to offer some comfort as well. “How about some laughing gas? You will feel a little funny and you won’t even notice that we give you a shot!”, she happily exclaimed. After a few minutes, he agreed and we were on our way to the next room for crown replacement.
The dentist was a young, petite woman, with kind eyes. She isn’t one that we’ve seen before, so she was obviously fairly new, but seemed very friendly and great with kids. She explained to me and Bradley what she would be doing, every step of the way. Bradley laid back, settled in with his laughing gas, and fixed his eyes on the T.V. mounted on the ceiling above him.
“First, I need to get the right size, so we are going put this on and bite down. Let’s see if we can get this in without having to numb you. It might squeeze in there if you can bite down really hard!”, she said as she gently placed the crown onto his tooth. “Oh you’re doing awesome! Good news, it’s going right in place, NO NEEDLES today! Mostly because you’re such a good helper by biting down so hard. Great job!”, she encouraged. We drive an hour, one direction to take him to the dentist. To this dentist office, for this reason. They are amazing! New employees, old employees, it doesn’t matter. We’ve never had a bad experience. I relaxed, realizing Bradley would be just fine. We were minutes away from being on our way, without a shot.
“Ok, I’m going to pop this off your tooth, put some glue on it, and we will get you on your way.”, she proceeded to use the tiny metal tool to pry the cap away from his tooth. All the sudden, her kind eyes shifted to panicked. “Where did it go?! Do you see it?” Did it fall on the floor?!?!?”, she begged the assistant to help her find the crown that she’d just removed from his tooth.
My attention was stirred now, as I looked at Bradley for any sign of distress. He was calm as a cucumber. Really, he was higher than a kite on laughing gas. Not only was he feeling no pain, he was oblivious to anything happening around him. “Bub….did you swallow it?” I asked, as I could tell he clearly was not choking on it.
“I think so.”, he replied in the most monotone relaxed voice I’ve ever heard. “Ok dude, can you sit up for me? Can you feel it going down? Did it get stuck? Do you need some water?”, I asked, trying to remain calm but assess the situation as quickly as possible. “Yea! Water is a good idea, let’s get you sat up!”, chimed our young and now terrified dentist. She continued to scan the floor for the cap, as the chair slowly made its way into an upright position. I could hear the panic in her voice. The mother in me, felt the need to calm her too. “He doesn’t seem to be in any distress. He really seems fine. I think he was so relaxed, when it landed in the back of his throat, he just swallowed. More of a reflex than anything. He really seems fine.”
This poor dentist felt horrible. “That’s never happened before, I’m so sorry! It was there and then it was gone! If he has any issues, or you’re worried about him, we will get him in for a chest X-ray. I really don’t think he aspirated, he’d be coughing and gagging a lot, but I seriously understand if you want him checked out!”, she pleaded with me, so scared I would be upset. Bradley got a drink and just looked at us all, clearly not understanding why there was so much commotion. “You good dude?”, I asked as he laid his head back to try and watch the TV on the ceiling.
“Yep, does this mean I can go home now?”, he replied, in his laughing gas induced monotone voice. I couldn’t help but laugh, as I assured the dentist that he was fine. “Honey, he is number 3 of 3 boys in our home. There is really nothing that surprises me anymore. My oldest swallowed a dime, he shoved a rock up his nose, then swallowed it while trying to get it out, they’ve all choked on food at one point or another. Trust me, he’s fine. Don’t feel bad. I was sitting right here, watching the entire thing. There isn’t anything you could have done differently. It was gone as soon as you got it off the tooth. He is clearly feeling NO PAIN. If anything comes up later I will get him checked but I’m sure it will come out.” 🚽
We finished our visit with a new crown in his mouth and a new crown in his belly. Two for one special my friends, I’m all about getting a deal. 🤣🤣 We will most definitely return to our favorite dentist office in 6 months for his cleaning, and life will move on as though it never happened. Crisis averted and they are still our favorite dentist! Also, I’d like to have a supply of laughing gas at home for when my littlest baby child gets hostile. I thoroughly enjoyed his mellow demeanor in the face of catastrophe. 😜
The Mommy Chronicles 