Miss McPhee

Out of the 5 teeth Miss M has lost thus far, three were pulled by the dentist. She has had a top tooth loose, but it tightened back up as the permanent tooth came down. She said it was bothering her, so we dropped by the dentist one afternoon to schedule an extraction. When our dentist took a look at it, he said if we waited a couple of weeks, it would come out on its own. I made the appointment anyway, because Miss M said it was bothering her.

Because we have not met our dental deductible yet, this extraction would cost us over $50. We told Miss M if she could get the tooth out before her appointment, we'd pay her $20 (a bargain for us). She couldn't get it to wiggle very much. She tried the doorknob trick (which will only work if you can get the dental floss to stay tied around the tooth). In desperation, we even pulled out the pliers...but then decided that wasn't such a great idea. The night before her appointment, she told us she'd rather wait until it came out.

That was 5 weeks ago. That tooth stayed just as tight as before, and the permanent tooth is about halfway in place. The baby tooth stuck straight out like Nanny McPhee's funky tooth. Miss M loved to show us how it made a perfect impression on her skin when her mouth was closed.

This past week, the dog bumped into Miss M's mouth and knocked the tooth loose, but not enough for it to fall out. So today, during church, I told her if she could get it out by the end of church I'd buy her the complete series of her favorite books (the Warrior Series and New Prophecy...still cheaper than the extraction). She's had bribes for 5 weeks and hasn't gotten it out, so I figured it was a safe bet.

She started working on the tooth in earnest. My husband snapped a quick picture of Miss McPhee with his cell phone in case she finally succeeded in getting it out. She got it bleeding pretty well, to the disgust/amusement of our friends in the pew behind us. To my surprise, when I returned from singing with the choir, it was out. By that point, both our friends behind us and in the pew in front of us had lost it. So much for the reverent spirit when you sit around our family!

I am thrilled that we will not have to pay for an extraction when she goes in for her checkup next week. But I have to buy nine books instead....

It just goes to show...be careful when you bet a kid.