Ian loses his 9th tooth - 2022/08/19

Another tooth? Already? 
Actually this one is coming out a little prematurely. 

Ever since Ian grew his first teeth, we were diligent to brush them every morning and night. The toothpaste we'd use was baby toothpaste and then kids toothpaste, but those don't have any fluoride and probably weren't doing the best job cleaning his teeth. We also weren't so good at flossing regularly, and so because of all that, Ian got a cavity in a baby tooth. He got it filled and it was an expensive lesson to Theresa and I that we needed to do a better job with the teeth. Now they have toothpaste with fluoride and we floss nightly (seriously). 

Ian had been complaining for a couple weeks that he had a tooth that was hurting. Initially we chalked it up to new teeth that might be coming in and pushing up on them. But after tylenol wasn't really helping the pain, and he was avoiding chewing on that side, Theresa made an appointment to bring him in to the dentist.  

And props to Theresa for pushing for it. It's not the easiest thing to do on the road, finding someone who isn't your normal dentist. She was up at 8am calling a couple different dentists in the area (Glacier, Montana) and was able to get an appointment later that day! And good thing she did! An x-ray revealed that it was an abscessed tooth and that it needed to come out!

Look at the monster roots on that thing! Ian didn't particularly care for the shots to numb his gum, and when they went to pull it, he could still feel it! They gave him another shot, waited a few minutes, and then twisted that tooth out! 

This one came out a little early, even before his baby canines. 

After the numbness wore off, he was so relieved to have it out of his mouth. 

I had joked with his that he was probably going to get $5 from the Tooth Fairy, but he was going to owe us $275 for his dentist visit. 

It was a bit of a busy day, even after he got his tooth out. When we were getting ready for bed, it was already 11:45pm and he said that he wanted to leave her a note. I said it was too late tonight, so he scribbled a quick one that said "come back tomorow for a questsin i don't hav time". 

When he went to put it under his pillow, a note from the Tooth Fairy was already there! 

"nice gob beig brave. tooth fairy"

Along with that was a bag with 7 cents in it. 

Where did that come from? 

Earlier in the day, Alli had heard me making the joke about owing us money and felt he needed something extra. She wrote the note, grabbed some of her coins, and left it for her brother. It was super adorable. Neither Theresa nor I had any idea that she had gone and done that. 

The next morning, Ian did receive another note, this time presumably from the REAL Tooth Fairy. 

Along with the note, instead of the usual $5, she gave him an extra $1, since this one was a little more rough. 

The next night, with time to spare, Ian wrote up another note to the Tooth Fairy. This time he had a question of whether there is only one Tooth Fairy. 

And he's also returning the extra dollar. 

"also I don't need the extra money so I want to donate the dolar to charity! yors sicirly Ian"

Ever since he lost his third tooth on National Tooth Fairy Day, he's been trading letters back and forth with the Tooth Fairy. 

Also since the night before, we've driven 200 miles south! 

So where did that extra dollar go? You can scan the QR code above with your camera (like Ian did), or click here, to see that that $1 was donated to Team Trees, a charity that will plant 1 tree for every dollar you donate. If you're really curious about the Tooth Fairy's secret helpers, maybe if you watch the movie Rise of the Guardians, you'll get a better idea. 

These Tooth Fairy notes are getting more and more elaborate! 

But it's a fun game to play, and those big smiles and curious questions make it all worth the time and effort. 

First Molar L.