big boy goes to the dentist

Our family has had our 6 month teeth cleanings and check ups this month at the dentist.

Well, most of us anyway.

Luke and Molly are too young, and when William went in, he completely freaked out!  The poor kid was scared out of his mind.  I am not a fan of the dentist myself, so I understood.  It did seem kind of nice to just run away screaming and crying though.

Anyway, I spent the next 2 weeks convincing him to come to the dentist when Mary and I went back in to get some fillings done. 
Yeah, fillings.
 I brush, floss and fluoride every day.  I take better care of my teeth than anyone in my house, and I'm the one with the cavities.  gggrrr  But that is a story for another day. (oh, and yes, it only took 3 numbing shots this time..... joy)

So, after answering a million questions for William, promising him a prize from the prize closet, and explaining every dental tool to him, William finally agreed to go back to the dentist.

I was shocked, when the day arrived, that he happily and willingly hopped in to the chair and declared that he wanted Bubble Gum flavored toothpaste on the tickly toothbrush.

Gotta love William.

The cleaning went great, and I was thrilled.  William was so proud of himself for conquering his fear.  I may or may not have let him take more than one prize from the closet.

Then, we got the news.

One of William's front teeth is chipped, and a cavity grew into the chip.  It is so bad, that he will need a root canal and a crown....and we need to somehow grow a money tree fast!!!

If we choose to do this, William will have to be sedated as well....and we will need to grow a second money tree.

The killer is that it is a baby tooth!  Argh!

We have options though.  It doesn't hurt him at all, so we can wait a couple years, and see if he stays pain free.  That way, we can let it naturally fall out...for free.  If the tooth dies and gets infected though, we are in a whole heap of trouble.

OR

We get the crown done, and pay a massive amount of money for a tooth that will fall out in a couple years. (shudder)  However, Ben thinks that if we go with this option, it should be a gold crown.  William agrees, because he wants to have "treasure" in his mouth.  Right in the front! I absolutely refuse.  Sorry William, I promise you will thank me someday.

OR

We get the tooth pulled, and pray that we don't completely mess up his teeth alignment.  Possibly get him a space maintainer to ensure that the other teeth don't fill in the hole. (thank heavens my dad can make one of these)

So, this is where we are at the moment.

Joy.