Bucked Teeth

So, most of you reading this blog know that I have two thumb-suckers. It was great when the girls were babies, b/c once they found their thumbs, they were better sleepers (and so were we). Looking back, I probably would have tried harder with the pacifier since you can physically remove it and say goodbye-not such the case with an attached thumb!! Fast forward from baby to a four and two-year old who continue to suck their thumbs every day. What do you get? Two upper teeth that buck out a little. That in turn leads to some not-so-fun encounters with the pavement and hard floor, if you lose your footing that is. ......

Early last week, Makenzie hit the curb chin first when she was playing outside with her sister and daddy. I am glad I wasn't out there when it happened b/c Aaron said you could hear her chin hit the pavement. Once we got her calmed down, I was able to take a look in her mouth to see the damage to her teeth. She already has a front tooth chipped from a year and a half ago when we think she hit her mouth on a table at Sunday School. That tooth by the way, has also darkened due to that trauma. Well, that tooth was re-injured last week and is now a little loose.

Now to Ashlyn, whose front teeth buck out more than her sisters. On Monday, she was excited for me to follow her into the living room to work on a puzzle. She was several feet in front of me (b/c she is jogging) when all of the sudden, she does a face plant on the wood floor. I knew from behind that it wasn't going to be pretty. Of course, mouth injuries always seem to produce more blood, and my first thought was the blood was coming from her upper lip--WRONG! I don't know how much time elapsed before I got her calmed down enough to determine that the blood was actually from her teeth (which were now loose)! After turning her head back to take a good look, her gums were very purple....not a good sign. This leads to what the nice receptionist at the dentist office refers to as an "emergency visit." Otherwise, they wouldn't have seen us until September. After consulting with the dentist and looking at Ashlyn's x-rays, we have been told that the ligaments should return to their original shape which would result in her front teeth tightening back up. Due to the trauma, however, her teeth could change colors and even blacken over a period of time (we just have to wait and see). We go back in for a follow-up visit in three weeks to see how the ligaments are doing.

Aaron seems to think our kids are the only ones that are always hitting their mouths, which does seem to be the case more often than not. My response is "what do you expect when we have two thumb suckers with already bucked-teeth?"

Our next investment....probably thumb guards for both girls so we can attempt to get their thumbs out of their mouths!!! Should be fun!!