McKay’s New Smile

Today started off as a relaxing, drizzly drop rain type of day.  After a busy, hectic week we were having a catch up day at home.  Just after 1 o’clock the kids started chasing and tickling each other.  I was at the computer editing pictures and Jax was hiding next to me when suddenly I heard a loud cry in the family room from McKay.  It was one of those cries when you know something terrible has happened.  I ran in there and scooped him up off the floor.  I saw his mouth was bloody.  We ran to the bathroom and grabbed a tissue to stop the bleeding.  I wiped the blood and on the tissue I saw two teeth!  After that I yelled for Sadie to grab my phone and call Ben.  I wasn’t sure I could handle this one alone!  I left a message for Ben and grabbed a bigger cloth because the tissue wasn’t cutting it!  As I pulled the tissue away I saw a large, gaping hole and cuts on his upper and bottom lips.

I asked Sadie about the details of his fall.  She said he was sitting on the sofa and she tickled him and he lost his balance and fell off.

After I got McKay calmed down I called the dentist.  She told me there wasn’t much that could be done.  If the cuts are in the mouth or on the lips they usually don’t use stitches (such a relief because I knew he would have HATED stitches!).  She told me they don’t reattach baby teeth as there are often complication.  We went over some ways to offer him relief – cold popsicles to reduce the swelling, taking motrin for the pain, and gargling with warm salt water.  We plan to go in to the office on Monday for xrays.

Ben came home from work to help me make the judgement call about stitches and watch the kids so I could go to the grocery store to buy some soft, cold foods.  Wow, is it nice having him so close now.

McKay and I sat on the sofa watching TV most of the day.  It bled for a long time so he had a cloth on it for hours.  Around 5 he agreed to eat a popsicle. Then he asked for another. And another.  Since then he’s been perky and super excited about the tooth fairy coming.  He looks at himself in the bathroom mirror every few minutes and smiles real big at his reflection.  He likes his new smile.  I’m trying to like it too.  I’m pretty disappointed that his beautiful smile is changed. But mostly I’m just happy that it’s nothing worse. No stitches. No surgery. No doctors. Just an awkward smile and slight lisp.

Oh what a day!