Reflections on the last 24 hours...

Right about this time last night I was pacing the living room waiting for a phone call from our dentist. For those who haven't heard, Caden was involved in an accident (non-automobile) yesterday which resulted in a broken front permanent tooth. You can only imagine my horror to see my precious child's smile forever changed. He was missing almost half of his tooth. I could see up inside his tooth. Thankfully he did not damage any nerves and was not experiencing any pain. Our dentist was gracious enough to offer to take a look at Caden's tooth. We arrived at his office at a little before 10:00. Caden was such a trooper last night. He did a great job of following the dentist's instructions. Since it was only the dentist there at the office he asked me to assist him. It was great to sit there right beside Caden and watch the dentist take a broken tooth and "make" that tooth somewhat normal again. The procedure was mostly pain free. I think the only time that Caden whimpered a little was while the dentist was smoothing down the temporary bonding material. Both Dr. Browning and Caden did a great job. I am so proud of my brave little boy for doing such a great job last night. And I am so very thankful that we have a dentist who was more than willing to meet me last night.

We got home around 11:00. Caden immediately went to bed and did fine through the night.

We returned to the office this afternoon for x-rays and a follow up with the dentist. The x-ray of the tooth looked good. At this point it appears there is not any damage to the root of the tooth. I was really worried last night because his tooth was a little wiggly. It's something that we will have to watch over the next several months, just to be sure the root remains intact and healthy. Dr. Browning did a little more work to the tooth today, smoothing it out some. It appeared less noticeable, a little less fake, this afternoon. We will return the last week in October for a permanent fix. The process will be much more invasive and will take a few hours to complete.

I feel a little better today. I took time this morning to visit with Caden's school teacher, the school nurse, and Caden's speech therapist. I made sure that Caden knew his tooth looked perfect and that his smile was just as beautiful as before. Even though my heart was breaking for him.

Caden has struggled with his speech for years. He's been made fun of, he's experienced the frustration of not being understood. I've heard him say "never mind" too many times because someone can't understand what he's saying. I've heard too many people say "I can't understand what you are saying" or "you talk funny" to him too many times. I don't want him to be made fun of because now on top of the speech issues, his tooth looks a little... different. I know that a more realistic looking tooth is coming, we just need to take some time to let the natural tooth heal and rest.

Unfortunately, Caden will always have issues with this tooth. It will have to be updated throughout his life. He will always have to be careful about what he eats; nothing too hard, or too chewy. He will always have to wear a mouth guard for athletics. There will always be some precautions that will need to be taken.

I know it's just a tooth. It's not like he lost an arm or has some serious disfigurement to his body. It's just a tooth. But, it's my baby's tooth. It's my baby's smile that's changed. It's just going to take some time to let the events of yesterday go and realize that he's ok, he's the same little boy who makes me laugh and smile, he's the same little boy who drives me crazy sometimes, and his beautiful smile still exists and still warms my soul.

So, here's what I ask of you: (1) Please say a little prayer for Caden. Pray that his tooth will heal, that he will not experience any self consciousness about his new smile. Pray that the process for the permanent bonding will be as pain-free as possible. (2) For family members and friends who see Caden often, please let Caden be the one to tell you about his tooth. I asked him when I picked him up from daycare if he told any of his friends at school what happened and he said only a few. Even though he's just 6 years old, self consciousness has already started. I'd urge those of you with small children to remind your children that we are all different in some way, but that's what makes us special and unique. Encourage your children to always follow the golden rule, to never make fun of someone just because they can't talk right, or their smile doesn't seem quite right, or because they are missing an arm, or mentally challenged... the list could go on and on. It seems I've taken the topic of this post somewhere else... I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've learned a valuable lesson out of all of this... no matter the outside, what truly matters is what's on the inside. Caden's still the same Caden. His smile may never be quite what it was before the accident... but it's ok. He can still smile. That's what matters. He still is just as beautiful to me today as he was yesterday.

~jen