This smile needs improving, the dentist suggested.
The dentist that we saw yesterday at a routine exam said he could, “fix that chip, fill it up, even it out. It’s cosmetic,” he said, “Not necessary. But it will improve his smile.”
I’m a weak, unassertive, nonconfrontational thing when with certain personalities and especially in public. My poor husband probably thought that was what he was marrying. Surprise! So, yeah, I signed the procedure papers and scheduled the appointment – a filling of the chip and a numbing shot – for today.
After we left, I thought to ask our little guy his opinion. “So,” I said casually, “You know that chipped tooth from when your cousin kicked you in the face?” (an accident, yes) “The dentist says he can fill it in. Do you want him to do that, or do you like it like it is?”
“Oh,” he says, “I like it like this. Cuz then I can put my tongue in there und veel eet.” (“…and feel it,” I think he said.)
Our little guy is 8. His teeth are already wonky: some are falling out, some are coming in, some are crookedly making their way to the right spots…..it’s all rather silly-looking, but that’s part of what makes an 8-year-old so very cute.
Really, I thought to myself, why would I put this kid into the trembles over a drill and a shot just for pure vanity’s sake? What kind of message does that send him and his siblings?
Our little guy likes his smile like it is, so that’s the way it will stay. I like his smile, too, but even more, I love his innocence. Life will eventually introduce him to our overly-vain, this-is-what-we-think-looks-perfect, we-must-look-perfect mentality.
For now, let him be 8.
(..umm….except that hair! A mama does get to say when hair is too scraggly. It needs cutting, and that’s that.)
Definitely cute the way it is!
Y’know, when I was 25 and prego with my second child, the dentist said “Oh, you need braces. We can fix that smile.” I immediately thought “What? There’s a problem with my smile?” What I had been fine with my whole life was suddenly deemed imperfect and needs-improvement! Personally, I think it’s a way to make money… if they really cared about what *I* thought, they would’ve asked me how I felt about my smile before assuming I didn’t like it!
He is ADORABLE and I love that smile!! Maybe someday he will want to have the shot and get it fixed but for now he is an amazing little guy!!
I don’t see anything that needs fixing. Adorable.
Well, he’s got a high self-esteem all right! But he must be reminded that the teeth also have functions aside from aesthetics. That way, when he grows up, he’ll know the value of a full set of teeth.
What a very handsome boy! Well, for some, a snaggletooth is a pretty thing. Somehow he’s enjoying it, and that’s fine for now. Later on, as he loses most of his baby teeth, he would need to get serious in protecting those pearly whites.