Due to circumstances that I can no longer remember Ben's two front teeth have been "dead" for several years. Since they were baby teeth and X-rays indicated that the roots were not damaged our dentist, Dr. Molly, said that the teeth would eventually fall out on their own.
Last month Ben pointed out that a sore had formed along his gum line, near one of his front teeth. It didn't seem to bother him (e.g., no complaints) so the sore kind of slipped my mind.
Then I ran into Dr. Molly at the gym and mentioned it to her. She indicated that it probably wasn't serious but that I should bring him in. She suspected an abscess and thought, perhaps, the teeth might have to be pulled. I did not share this possibility with Ben prior to our appointment.
After examining Ben, the dentist called me back into the exam room. She confirmed that it was an abscess and using very comforting language indicated (rather vaguely) that both teeth would need to come out. She and I discussed the tooth extraction for a few minutes, in rather vague terms, for fear that we would alarm Ben.
I was thinking about the best way to approach the subject with Ben when he looked up at Dr. Molly and said, "Oh so you want to pull my tooth?"
Dr. Molly was clearly surprised at his matter-of-fact response and said, "Yes Ben. I think that's the best choice to get rid of the abscess."
Ben shrugged, "Okay."
"But Ben," I interjected. "She's going to remove both of your front teeth. Not just one."
"Yeah," Ben said. "Okay."
And he really was okay. He handled the entire procedure like a champ and the abscess disappeared within a few hours.
I saw her a few days later and she asked how Ben was doing and complimented him on his poise during the procedure.
"He was great," I said. "But you know if we're ever in a position where Maggie has to have teeth pulled...."
Dr. Molly finished the sentence for me, "Yeah, we'll probably all have to be sedated."
