New Teeth!

Benjamin has new teeth!

Most of you know, Benjamin knocked his three front teeth back after colliding with a park bench at the end of September. After an ER visit, and a trip to the dentist’s office, all three teeth were pulled. After weeks of waiting for Benjamin to heal, then months of haggling with our insurance company, having an impression done, and finally waiting for the appliance to be made, Benjamin had his new teeth fitted yesterday afternoon.

And, after all that waiting, Benjamin is… (drum-roll please), not at all impressed with his new chompers. Not at all. In fact, he asked all evening yesterday for Pierre or me to take them out (the appliance is cemented in). This morning, Ben said that he was getting used to the teeth, but later burst into tears when faced with going to school, and showing everyone his new smile for the first time. My heart just about broke for him.

So, Pierre and I are left wondering whether we made the right decision, having Ben fitted for this appliance. Our decision had very little to do with his smile. Ben is perfect to me, no matter the state of his teeth. His gummy little smile is adorable:

Instead, the decision had much more to do with proper spacing for his permanent teeth as they grow in, and Benjamin’s speech development. Think for a minute about all the sounds that you make that require your front teeth…”F”, “S”, “Z” and “V” sounds all use the top front teeth. And speech has never been an issue for Ben. He started to talk at 6 months (I kid you not!), and has always been clear as a bell. Considering how hard Benjamin has had to work on his fine and gross motor skills, Pierre and I didn't want for speech to become an issue.

Second, the poor kiddo was having trouble eating. All food had to be chomped by his back teeth. He couldn't bite into anything. And while he still won’t be able to eat anything overly sticky, or  bite directly into an apple, the appliance will help with eating normally.

And there was a bit of a social aspect to our decision. I cannot tell you the number of people (well-meaning certainly), who have made comments about Benjamin’s lack of teeth. Of course, the comments are well-intentioned, especially those individuals who have said to Ben, “I know what you’ll be asking Santa for Christmas…your two front teeth!!” Ummm….actually, that would be his THREE front teeth. But, who’s counting? An appliance will, hopefully, help to take the focus off of Ben’s teeth, and put it back on just Ben.

I wish I could share an amazing picture of Ben’s new smile with you, but considering his mood yesterday, this is the best one that Pierre was able to get:

I think Benjamin looks about eight-years-old in this shot.

If I was being completely honest with myself I’d admit that, close-up anyway, the appliance doesn't look completely natural. Maybe that’s just because I've grown so accustomed to Ben’s gummy grin. The appliance shouldn't cause Benjamin any pain or discomfort, he just needs to get used to having it in his mouth. I guess I do too.

So, did we make the right decision? I looked at Pierre last night, and asked: “Did we really just get our child fake baby teeth??”  He nodded his head solemnly, obviously as unsure of the decision as I am.

I guess that’s all part of being a parent, isn't it? You do the best to make decisions for your children, based on your very best intentions. Then you pray like crazy that you did the right thing.

xo Naomi