Well, we are officially three weeks out from Gabriel’s next
surgery. Can’t say I’m really looking
forward to it. Don’t get me wrong,
though. I know this surgery will
dramatically improve his life, but to be quite honest, I am already mourning
the loss of a face I love so dearly.
In preparation for the surgery, I had to take Gabriel to see
his dentist and orthodontist to figure out what to do with a rogue tooth that’s
come in behind the bone grafting on the one side of his gum line that has been
repaired.
Turns out, there’s not one, but two rogue teeth.
The first tooth behind the grafting is actually in a great
place for the grafting. It’s placing
just enough pressure on the donor bone that it’s helping to keep the bone in
its appropriate location. Unfortunately,
the tooth is in a terrible location for the palate repair – so…it has to come
out.
The second rogue tooth is a sneaky, little thing. In the very small gap between Frank and the
rest of the gum line on the right side of Gabriel’s mouth, there is a tooth
sitting horizontally in the gap. The
dentist took one look at it and said it would be impossible to get to while
Gabriel is awake and, there is no doubt, it cannot stay where it is – otherwise
bone grafting on that side would never be able to happen – so…it has to come
out.
Fortunately, between the orthodontist, the dentist, and the
plastic surgeon, it was determined that the extraction of the teeth can wait
until Gabriel is in surgery on the 9th.
I asked the orthodontist what the chances are that Gabriel’s
permanent teeth will grow in the same places as the baby teeth and he said,
‘highly probable.’ I officially have on
my sad face right now thinking about the fact that Gabriel’s adult teeth will
likely have to be pulled as well, and dental implants will be his only
option. There go all future plans for
sunrooms, elaborate cruises, or pretty much anything else that requires money…enter
big sigh here.
Other than an upcoming surgery and a couple of rogue teeth,
everything else in our Gabriel’s life has been relatively drama free. At 9½ months old, he now weighs twenty-five
pounds! He doesn’t say much and it takes
some work to get a laugh, but he smiles that big, beautiful, wide smile all the
time! What a joy he is!!!
Until next time…
