AM~Erica Says Farewell to Little Timmy

So anyway...

It's been about a year & a half since Lil Guy has had any sort of dental removal. He was in kindergarten when he lost his 1st 2 teeth about a month apart from each other. So, we just figured we were off & running with the whole "Hey, My Kid Looks Toothless" thing.

After those 1st 2 teeth...we checked around his mouth often. We we couldn't figure out why there was no more extra movement going on with the pearly whites of his pie hole. What was going on?

When WE ALL WENT TO SEE THE DENTIST, we were shown Lil Guy's X-rays...ALL of his roots were still running deep. Apparently it would still take a while before much would happen. Great...that means he'll be 14yo & still yanking out baby teeth, then! Amm-i-rite? Geez!

Now...remember I said he lost those 1st 2 teeth in kindergarten? He went thru the entire 1st grade without a single tooth budging. How annoying! All these other kiddos losing teeth...but not Lil Guy... *sigh*

Here he is, into the 2nd grade...and late in the fall, we starting noticing the slightest bit of movement in his 2 front teeth! Woo Hoo!! We figured that he'd be singing a certain Christmas song come holiday time...

"All I wan' for Chrithmath ith my two fron' teeth, my two fron' teeth, my two fron' teeth. All I wan' for Chrithmath ith my two fron' teeth, tho I can with you Merry Chrithmath!"

But...Christmas time has come & gone, and so has a new year. Guess what we are still working on! Yep...those pesky front teeth! Even the teeth on either side of them are wiggly, but we just knew those front ones would be coming out soon!

Here lately, one of those teeth has been much, MUCH more wiggly. As I spoke to Lil Guy about it, and because he's my son, and our brains tend to work differently than most, we had a discussion about these teeth. It went something like this:


ME:  So, let me check those teeth. *messes with teeth trying not to be bitten* Whoa! Little Timmy is still hanging on for dear life! When is he going skydiving?

LG:  Little Timmy? Who's 'Little Timmy'?

ME:  Your tooth, silly! The one hanging on for dear life!

LG:  Oh!!

ME:  So...when is Little Timmy going skydiving? Is he waiting for Little Tommy, you know...your other tooth...to push him out?

LG:  No...Little Timmy isn't going anywhere just yet. And Little Tommy isn't pushing him out yet.

ME:  Oh, OK. If you're sure...

LG:  So, what's my tooth's name?

ME:  Well, I don't know. What is it?

LG:  Hmmm...I think it's Little...hmmm...TERMINATOR!

ME:  Really? You're gonna call it 'Little Terminator'?

LG:  *grinning* Yep!

ME:  That's impossible! When he jumps, he 'won't be bahhk'. *face palm* (yep...think Arnold-like)

LG:  *laughs*

ME:  So, does Little Timmy need help skydiving? Looks like he's just bungee jumping right now...

LG:  NO! *face palm*


Now then...we've been trying to coax Little Timmy into going skydiving. I just knew Little Tommy wanted his own space & just figured he'd be pushing Little Timmy out at any time!

We even offered to throw a couple of punches at Little Timmy to try to help out. For some reason, Lil Guy wasn't too excited about that thought. Whatever!

Yesterday, during the very final couple of seconds of Lil Guy's basketball game, he ended tangled with another kid & went down to the floor as the other kid tripped over Lil Guy's face! YIKES! Apparently there was quite a bit of blood coming from where Little Timmy has been residing. So, we figured that the eviction of Little Timmy was immanent! But...no. Little Timmy just didn't want to leave.

Last night, Lil Guy was really working on Little Timmy. I really figured Little Timmy would've taken the leap last night. It was making me crazy seeing Little Timmy pointing at me. I'm pretty sure I saw Little Tommy roll his enamel at the whole situation. But Lil Guy decided to give Little Tommy a break for the night. Grrrrr...! As SOON as I got in bed, Lil Guy called me into his room. I was prepared for Lil Guy to be hoisting Little Timmy...but...no. Instead I was beckoned just to be told that Little Timmy was just hanging by a thread...he felt his tooth pop out of place. We were getting vewwy, vewwy close.

I got Lil Guy up this morning for church & saw that Little Timmy was still in place. I guess Little Tommy was still asleep or something...
But I did tell Lil Guy that I just KNEW that Little Tommy's skydiving would be inevitable today! Within about 10 minutes...Lil Guy called for me...and...

That's right! Little Timmy took the plunge! Or Little Tommy couldn't deal with it anymore...not sure which...

But now Lil Guy's looks have already changed drastically. *sigh* And soon enough, Little Tommy will jump, too. That will really change up Lil Guy's looks. I'm guessing he'll start looking older with the big teeth coming in. *cries a little*

Yes, I've been thru this before. Keep in mind that it's been a long time. OK? And...this is my baby! Remember?

Alright...guess we need to prepare for Little Timmy's ascension trip with the Tooth Fairy. He has taken his final leap into Tooth Heaven...

Good Bye, Little Timmy! Good Bye!

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica is a Fabulous Dental Patient

So anyway...

Let's just say it right off that I had dental work done. Boy, did I ever...

I must say it was quite the adventure. And I knew that it was going to be long visit, but had no idea it would be anything like this!

The 4 out of 5 of us needing work had our appointment set at 4:30. We got there about 5 minutes beforehand. We were called back, but to take care of payment set up & all that wonderfully-icky stuff when the dentist came over & said they were running behind due to a "belligerent patient." Apparently this guy was horrible & used most of their manpower to get his mouth worked on, so it put them about half an hour behind. Whatever.

Eventually, Teen Boy was called back. A little bit later, Teen Girl got her turn...which she went back timidly. Then...it was to be my turn. Lil guy didn't need any work, but he decided to head back with me. But he really wanted to walk around & check on his siblings. I checked on 'em, too. They were being numbed & letting it get good & set in.

Then, it was my turn. But not before I put on my star & rainbow-colored tiara along with my brightly colored & sparkly boa. I knew my face was going to be droopy & weird, so I had to be fabulous somehow! Sure I was a spectacle in the office, but I was fabulous...even with the drool bib subtly accessorizing my boa.

So...my gums were swabbed with that weird numbing gel & then the injections came into play. It all happened pretty quickly.

But I'm pretty...right? RIGHT?? Even though I felt like a neanderthal...

The dentist was kind enough to tell me, at that point, that I looked like a stroke victim. Awesome.

And, as the whole process went...I went through 4 assistants. Yep. A whole 4. But, in the 3 hours I was worked on (yes...a whole 3 hours), I had to be numbed, have teeth drilled, have fillings put in, and have a deep cleaning. But the assistants were all very nice. I had a numb mouth & pretty much didn't care what they did.

One of them said I had nice eyes & pointed out the brown dot I have in one of my eyes. Another assistant, Hans (I know his name since it was airbrushed on the front & back of his shirt in bright green), told me I reminded him of La Roux. That was really nice, but I informed him, in my numbed, forced-open mouth state that, " wi oh eh-oh-uh!" Yes, I attempted to say, "With more emotion." Hans understood me & then got all excited since I knew who La Roux was. LOL! Then he also pointed out the lead singer of the Cranberries, too! (aka - Dolores O'Riordan)

So...do you agree? *shrugs*

Hans was also digging my outfit...boa, tiara & all! Woot! And we enjoyed humming along to the 80's background music from the speakers. I could do that!

Hans is the one that did my deep cleaning & was told to go at it "aggressively". Seriously. He even reminded me that the dentist gave the orders.

So...I got major stain-scraping, hardcore polishing & tough flossing. And he got pretty aggressive. I even attempted to remind him, "AH-WEH-IH!" Yes, that's how it came out.

Do you remember Bill Cosby's dentist bit? >> click here to watch <<
Yes...this is a lot of how it went & how I sounded afterward. Seriously.

My hubby's took a bit longer. So we were at the dentist's office for 4 hours. YIKES! We left after 8:30...the kids were starving & their numbing was wearing off. Not mine! So off for milkshakes. McDonald's was in order, apparently. Lil guy got a Mighty Kids Meal, the other "patients" got chocolate milkshakes & fries...then there was me. I could only muster getting a chocolate milkshake. I was so numb, I couldn't even tell if I was chewing on my cheeks or tongue. I could taste tingling at times.

I eventually started getting feeling back. By almost 11:00 PM, the lower left quadrant of my face still had ZERO feeling! YIKES! I got numbed at around 5:15. that's a really long time!

As for this morning...we are all sore & slightly sensitive in our mouths. Well, all except lil guy.

So...here's a few things I learned at the dentist office:

1. When you need dental work, it's just like Bill Cosby says.

2. The dentist & dental assistants (my friend, Julie, calls them "Dentites") will want you to carry on a conversation...even with your mouth totally incapacitated.

3. A totally numb lower jaw will make you feel like you have a neanderthal mouth.

4. Tingling tastes weird.

5. When there is a lot of water involved in a cleaning...you will get a face shower.

6. When told to swish water when the assistant forgets you are very numb, holding your mouth closed & shaking your head really hard works pretty well. (Thanks, Hans)

7. Watching powder from your teeth flying into the air when drilled is weird...and smells bad, too. Like your mouth is on fire. (see #1)

8. You can still look fabulous in a tiara & boa at the dentist's office.

9. A dental deep cleaning is nothing like a deep tissue massage. I stand corrected.

10. Trying to spoon or suck a milkshake thru a straw is hard when your mouth is numb, but is entertaining to others.

And...one of the best things I heard said throughout this whole adventure is one from the dentist, who couldn't get the suction thingy to work:

"Oh! This sucks! Wait...I mean it sucks that the suction thing doesn't suck...*sigh* OK, bad choice of words."

Oh...and now, not only am I sore & sensitive, but I'm slightly puffy, too. Looks like I might need to sport my tiara for another day. You know...as a fabulous deterrent.

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica Will be Getting a Milkshake

So anyway...

If you remember about a week and a half ago, the family & I went to the dentist. And, obviously, I lived.

Well, today we go back. It will be today that 4 out of 5 of us (see what I did there?) will be needing more work done. Unfortunately, one of the 4 is yours truly. *sigh*

Here's what's going to be even more interesting...the 4 of getting work done will have our faces numbed. Well, our mouths...but you know how that ends up. And since this is all being done right before dinner, real food is not in the plan.

It had been so long since I'd gone to the dentist before (again, see previous post) that it was decided that they wouldn't even do my cleaning at that point. Instead, I needed to reschedule to get a "deep cleaning". I'm not sure what that entails, but I need to be numbed for it. It will the same time that I get fillings, too. Oh, what kind of cocktail shall I put together for this fun deal? I am tempted to do the Tim Allen mix just to make the deep cleaning worth it. Right?

A quick side note: Would a dental "deep cleaning" be anything like getting a deep tissue massage, except it's for your gums? Something to ponder...

Oh, and last time we were there, the office admin had to put our info into the computer. This also included getting a pic taken for our own dental profile via webcam. Woot! We joked about this photoshoot needing to be more like Glamour Shots. I struck a pose for mine! Jessica, the one taking our info & pics, said she would really love to get props for these occasions. I am so tempted to go get a boa & tiara. I will walk in & look fabulous for my cleaning & to show how gorgeous my pic could have been. Especially since she missed out taking the pic of my over-the-shoulder pose. Oh well.

Anyhoo...since everyone except lil guy is getting their faces numbed...it looks like milkshakes for dinner! Yummmmm.....

Who's jealous??
Oh! Maybe I can get a sticker, too! Lil Guy got "Thor" last time...

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica is Long Overdue

So anyway...

Another double-posting day. Even though I posted earlier today, I have to come clean about something: I have an appointment that I am long overdue for.

No one should ever go this long between times. I know. But circumstances stopped me for a while, and I never got back into the routine of doing it.

Tomorrow, I am going to the dentist. *GASP*

It's not that I have a fear of going, but I'm freaked out because I'm out of practice of being poked in the mouth with a metal hook. But the good news is that I have flossed more in 2012 than I have in probably my entire life. So there's a springboard for the positive...right?

OK, my heart is beginning to beat faster just thinking about it! And as much as I want to eat Cheetos & Oreos before I go (a la Tim Allen), I need to set a good example for my kiddos. It will be a family event. And because it will be a family event, maybe that thought will stifle the possibility of me screaming like a little girl. We will see...

I won't go into how long it's been. That part is even more embarrassing. But when you don't have insurance for a little while in your life, you forget you have it when it becomes available thru work as part of a package deal. By then, I was already out of practice.

Now, it's time to put on my big girl britches & go back. And I'm hoping it doesn't get to a point where my hubby must escort my children out of the area because I'm behaving ridiculously like a toddler. That wouldn't be pretty.

So, for the sake of all involved...

I must set a good example...
I must set a good example...
I must set a good example...
I must set a good example...

*gulp*

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica