Alexander and I bravely set out for his dentist appointment this afternoon. Leaving the house felt odd, and when we got to the dental office they were all in a tizzy because it was announced shortly before we left the house that all non-essential appointments (both medical and dental) were to be suspended.
"This is...essential...right?" I asked Andrew before we left the house.
Emergency appointments are essential. Sure. Yes?
We're all new to this weirdness (and may it never begin to feel normal, amen).
We got to the office and filled out a questionnaire about travel and symptoms and so forth and then we both had to have our temperature taken before they led us back. The receptionists were making phone call after phone call cancelling appointments (and pausing between calls to ooh and aah over Alexander and his poor wee face).
They took a quick (and probably unnecessary) x-ray and determined that his mouth should heal just fine. The gums will tighten around the teeth again and the bone will reattach and it will all be fine. Alexander will just need to be on a soft-food diet for the next couple of weeks.
The dentist said that even if his tooth had been knocked out (which it had not in this case; it's just a bit loose so this is mercifully information for the future) you can just rinse the tooth off in milk and then reinsert it in the hole and it will reattach in about 80% of cases. Which—you guys—just seems so crazy!
I actually seem to recall a PSA of sorts on the CBC (or NFB) about this very thing. For all those hockey-playing children, probably. It was a little cartoon with some animals—a beaver and moose, probably—playing hockey? And a tooth gets knocked out and they find milk and put it in and there's a song and...I can't seem to find it on YouTube. But...here's this gem:
"This is...essential...right?" I asked Andrew before we left the house.
Emergency appointments are essential. Sure. Yes?
We're all new to this weirdness (and may it never begin to feel normal, amen).
We got to the office and filled out a questionnaire about travel and symptoms and so forth and then we both had to have our temperature taken before they led us back. The receptionists were making phone call after phone call cancelling appointments (and pausing between calls to ooh and aah over Alexander and his poor wee face).
They took a quick (and probably unnecessary) x-ray and determined that his mouth should heal just fine. The gums will tighten around the teeth again and the bone will reattach and it will all be fine. Alexander will just need to be on a soft-food diet for the next couple of weeks.
The dentist said that even if his tooth had been knocked out (which it had not in this case; it's just a bit loose so this is mercifully information for the future) you can just rinse the tooth off in milk and then reinsert it in the hole and it will reattach in about 80% of cases. Which—you guys—just seems so crazy!
I actually seem to recall a PSA of sorts on the CBC (or NFB) about this very thing. For all those hockey-playing children, probably. It was a little cartoon with some animals—a beaver and moose, probably—playing hockey? And a tooth gets knocked out and they find milk and put it in and there's a song and...I can't seem to find it on YouTube. But...here's this gem:
Fun! Je n'ai pas vu cette vidéo depuis longtemps! Maurice "Rocket" Richard was my dad's favorite player on the Canadiens. Gordie Howe on the Leafs! "Hockey Night in CANADA!!"
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