The Tooth Is Out There

Although Sam is 8, he has only lost one tooth. Well, two as of this weekend. The first one came out quite unexpectedly during some roughhousing with a friend. We never found that tooth.

But this second one, one of his incisors I think, had been loose for some time. So loose, in fact, that we made up a new Tooth Fairy rule. Several weeks ago, we told Sam that we heard a front tooth was worth $20 to the Tooth Fairy, but from that day on, the value went down one dollar per day, and if the tooth didn't come out soon - well, he'd owe the Tooth Fairy.

As last count, he owed more than $30.

But finally on Friday night, he admitted he'd had enough and he was up for anything (anything!) to get the tooth out. It was so loose it was hanging over the other incisor, almost at a 45-degree angle.

I admit I didn't participate. Although I can tolerate all sorts of snot, vomit and poop, loose teeth and the gummy, stringy, grisly wiggling that comes with them grosses me out.



They tried tweezers, pliers and good, old-fashioned tugging. In the end I'm not sure what finally freed the tooth. I heard a cheer from the bathroom and Sam came to show me the new gap and the extracted tooth. It looked awfully tiny outside his mouth.



In the end, the tooth fairy didn't charge Sam. In fact, she left him $4.