Beware of falling teeth!

Hey Gang! I owe you an update, but right now I have an interesting little story to share.

My poor little girl has really been fighting the sickness going around. She recently recovered from bronchitis, and just a few days later ended up going right back to the doctor for something similar. We now have her on antibiotics, steroids, an inhaler and breathing treatments 4 times a day. She is due for a recheck today to see if her lungs are clearing up. So please keep my baby in your prayers. The Dr. thinks it could be allergy related issues, but we just don't know yet.

But my story today isn't about my daughter, although you needed to know that tidbit to set up the scene. It's about my teeth. Yes, I said my teeth. So here's the scenario...

I'm in the doctors office on Wednesday afternoon. My daughter is getting a breathing treatment while I sit beside her and read. I have a small piece of sugar-free gum in my mouth. Suddenly, instantly and without warning, my front tooth falls out. BAM! And there it is, lying in my hand in all it's fake enameled glory (it's a crown). At this point I have no idea how to even react. I think I was in a type of shock. Seriously, at 35 years of age who wakes up and says "I wonder if my tooth will fall out today?" It just doesn't happen. Yeah, I could have stuck it under my pillow, but the tooth fairy can't give me near enough to replace what I paid for that crown, so I'll keep it, thank you very much.

My daughter's eyes grow huge as she realizes what just happened. Just seconds later the doctor walks in and starts listening to Rachel's lungs again. I sit quietly, my tooth clutched in my hand. And while I'm trying really hard to focus on what the doctor is saying to Rachel, it's difficult because I'm having flashbacks from my dentist visit a couple of years ago. If you don't remember that horrendous story, feel free to go check it out. It was a nightmare.

Now the doctor is talking to me, and again I'm trying to listen. I carefully ask her to repeat her instructions once again to be sure I have understood them, then I grab a kleenex and wrap my tooth up. The Dr. looks at me kinda funny and I explain what happened. She expresses shock as well, but then tells me of a substance I can use to temporarily glue it back until I can get to the dentist.

We make it home and my husband is waiting there. Obviously his first question isn't "Hey, did your tooth fall out at the doctors office by any chance?". He was concerned about our daughter and asks what the doctor said. I just start to tell him when Rachel blurts out, "Mom's tooth fell out while we were there!" I confirm the fact, then show him and in his state of I-cannot-believe-that-happened he recommends I call the dentist immediately. Sadly for me the dentist office just closed so I have to leave a message.

Anyone remember what it was like as a kid trying to talk without one, or both, of your front teeth? It's a little spitty. And a little slthurrish. And I ended up sounding like Slyvester from Looney Toons. Here's the message I left the dentist.

"Hi, thish isth Amy Dungan. I need to sthee the doctor asth sthoon asth possthible. My front crown fell out justh a few mintuths ago. Pleasth call me back at..." then left my phone number, which contains several "sthevens and sthixes".

I hang up the phone and my husband is doing his dead-level best not to bust out laughing. I give him the this-is-so-not-funny-and-if-you-dare-laugh-you-will-sleep-on-the-couch-for-a-month look. He laughed anyway. Since I generally have a pretty good sense of humor I tried to laugh too, but just couldn't make it happen. I think it's because smiling showed the missing tooth... wow did that look bad. I looked like one of those characters from some hillbilly show.

I won't bore you with the rest of the details of the evening - like trying to eat, brushing my teeth, sleeping, etc. But I will say it has a happy ending. Yesterday morning the Dentist got me right in and for $30 glued the crown back in place. I can eat, smile, talk... even chew gum without fear now. But I did learn a valuable lesson in all this. Next time I need dental work I will not be going with the cheapest dentist I can find, as I did two years ago. No, next time I'll just bite my tongue and deal with the bill.