Gwen has two rows of bottom teeth (shark teeth)!
When I was brushing Gwen's teeth last night, I was shocked to see that she has two permanent teeth coming in behind her baby teeth. At first, I thought I was just seeing a glob of toothpaste because, really, who ever expects to see a 2nd row of teeth in their kids mouth? But after a quick rinse and spit, it was confirmed: Gwen has shark teeth.
I really never thought we'd have issues with her front two permanent teeth because she's only got three baby teeth (instead of four) between her bottom incisors. That's just the way God made her. With all that extra space to come in, why did her permanent teeth come in behind? It's a mystery.
Gwen is pretty excited about having "grown up" teeth and she's proudly showing everyone she encounters. She has a vague understanding of how things usually work when you lose baby teeth but isn't at all curious about how those baby teeth will actually come out. I think she believes they'll just pop out when the time is right. We should be so lucky.
I've done a bit of research online and it looks like the only cure for shark teeth (and the resulting complications) is to pull the baby teeth right away. How do you explain THAT to a five year old?
Do they put them under General anesthesia for the extractions? If not, how do they convince a freaked out 5 year old to open her mouth and hold still? Trust me, I know my kid and no amount of magic Tooth Fairy dust or shiny quarters will make her sit there obediently while they jab a long needle into the tender place between her teeth and lip. Nope, won't happen. If you've followed us from the very beginning, you might remember how her first blood draw went . Not much has changed except that now she's 40 pounds heavier.
We've been trying to wiggle the bottom three teeth all day but they're not budging. If they ever do get loose, I'm afraid I won't be much help though. Loose teeth totally gross me out. The way they squeak when you wiggle them and the taste of metal in your mouth when they bleed. Aaaahhhh! And my mom used to tie a string around ours and tie the other end to a door knob then slam the door. She also tied one end of the string to the bumper of the car and drove off. I can still see my brother holding tight to that string and running after the car as fast as he could. And you think I'm kidding.
Anyway, my kids will have to turn to Daddy for all of their toothy needs because Mommy is emotionally handicapped and will likely vomit or faint. But enough about me. What can anyone tell me about what oral surgery will be like for our girl? I'm going to go get a big glass of wine and wait to hear your stories.