Pearly Whites

We've done a pretty good job lately of keeping the tooth industry in business.  This past fall, Kip had a root canal to correct the failed root canal from LAST fall.  Super fun! We're hoping this time around it sticks.

The kids went in for their routine cleanings, which the older two passed with reminders to brush a little better; but Rachel, on her very first visit, had a giant cavity, like we-can-see-it-without-an-x-ray cavity.  She was so proud, she showed it to everyone.
She was a champ during her filling:

They have a TV in the ceiling, so she didn't move or make a sound the whole time!  Whew!  Plus she got to pick a prize, so there you go.  Success!

Caleb has been sporting a retainer for a number of months now, helping guide his adult teeth as they grow in.  He likes it, so no worries.  His teeth have grown in really slowly, and Ella has pretty much caught up with him in that department, so I went ahead and had the orthodontist look at her too.  He did not think she needed a retainer, but recommended pulling out two baby teeth on the bottom because the new teeth were coming in behind each other.  He classified her mouth as "severely crowded."  Oh dear, looks like the kids have my teeth and not Kip's.  Sorry, kids. :(

I did not grab a photo of Ella, because it was kind of gory, but she was also a champ!  She was quiet and cooperative and even said she was excited to see the pliers they would use to pull out her teeth.  They gave her a nice ring to hold her teeth and she thought that was cool but was even more excited about getting the double-treats from the tooth fairy.  The orthodontic assistant told her (thankyouverymuch) that when you get teeth pulled, you get an extra special treat, so the tooth fairy had to run to Walgreen's and search for an extra special barbie toothbrush and chap-stick to meet a sweet girl's expectations.  She was SO excited.  And while this tooth fairy normally throws away nasty old teeth, I did keep these two with the huge long roots to show her when she's older.  :)

Afterwards she was understandably a little grumpy with a mouth full of bloody gauze, so again, I have no photo, but she did enjoy an afternoon of pudding, yogurt, ice cream, and jello.  Mmmm! Now, less than a week later, you can't even hardly tell she had big holes in her gums and the teeth already seem to be moving forward.  Yay!

Looks like we'll have a long dental/orthodontic road ahead of us, but I know from experience that it is worth it!  (Thanks mom and dad!)