Tuesday, November 25

What a crazy day yesterday, but everything came out fine. Everything, in this case, being Tommy's four remaining teeth, which were front and center in the bottom half. The day-long saga began at 8 in the morning, when we went to Dr. James, who is my dentist. Tommy hasn't had a dentist in living memory, so it was very fortunate that she would see him on such short notice. (There was an air of immediacy because one of the teeth was wiggling loose, and Dr. Raj was concerned that if it came out while he was lying down in bed, he could choke on it.) After a careful examination and an X ray, Dr. James concluded that Tommy needed to see an oral surgeon for the teeth-pulling, because there was a risk of greater than normal bleeding. While we were still in her office, she arranged for Tommy to see an oral surgeon in Lewes later in the day; so, at three o'clock, with me holding his hand to provide moral support (but not doing such a good job--I was trying not to pass out), Tommy sat in a small operating room where he endured numerous needle-stickings by the surgeon and, ten minutes later, the extraction of his four teeth with the use of a formidable pair of pliers. I was only able to watch at the very end, when the surgeon was sewing up the newly naked gums. Tommy has been eating soft foods while his mouth heals, which will take a couple of weeks. Then, he'll go back to Dr. James, who will make him a new set of choppers, top and bottom. He's pretty excited about it, because, in his words, "Then I can eat steak."