The Whole Tooth and Nothing But the Tooth

So, to cap off the first day of school earlier this week, my daughter ended up having to get her tooth pulled. Apparently, one of her adult teeth was coming in before the baby tooth underneath it had fallen out. There was a gap between the baby tooth and the gums, and apparently food was getting in there, and there was the start of an infection, and puss and other goop that was building up in there (all of which my wife told me right before supper, just to really whet my appetite).

Apparently, ripping out a baby tooth rings up at $330 a pop in the great province of Ontario, which isn't a huge deal as between my benefits and my wife's, it should all be taken care of. But once again, I couldn't help shake the feeling that maybe I'd ended up in the wrong profession. I enjoy inflicting pain and suffering on kids as much as the next guy, but I didn't realize I could charge $330 a pop for knocking kids' teeth out.

I'm kidding of course (Or am I?...) and the important thing was that my daughter was OK, and that we've probably avoided any potential orthodontic work by catching a potential problem early. Now orthodontics, that's a field that really speaks to your inner sadist. No. It's too late to change professions again, no matter how appealing.

My daughter took it in stride, and enjoyed exploring the sensation of having have of her face numb for a good portion of the evening. Apparently, they also gave her some laughing gas before the procedure, which I didn't realize they did for kids. (So dentists get to inflict pain and suffering and get paid for it and also legally get kids high? I really should have spent more time with my high school guidance counselor.)

TL;DR: My daughter's dental health is now tip top, and my blood pressure is holding steady for the moment knowing that orthodontics aren't (yet) a grim possibility I and my bank account have to consider.

It's one of those win/win scenario-type deals. I love a happy ending.