Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem

I came home Thursday from a walk into town -- we live a few blocks from downtown Fennville -- and was greeted by my mother-in-law. She said the words all parents dread: "The school called .." then the words I fear, "and Elspeth has been hurt." She then added, "She broke her teeth."

Wow, there's a greeting.

Elspeth, 8, fell in the gymnasium and literally landed on her front teeth, shattering them both. The best way I can think to describe it is to take a piece of glass and smack it with a hammer. That's what they looked like.

We got her to our dentist, Dr. Chris Wiley. He cancelled his scheduled appointments and spent an hour or so working on her teeth. He did a fantastic job of reconstructing them. You'd never know they were jagged fangs at any time. Elspeth did a great job in the dentist's chair despite her fear of the dentist (that's a blog for another day) and panic that gripped me.

So, for the rest of her life, she'll have partially artificial front teeth that will need adjusting over the years. She can add this to the permanent scar on her forehead from where she got hit with a baseball bat in a spring baseball camp.

The school folks were also very nice and helpful. When we got to Alyssa's Christmas program that night, the principal, teachers and office personnel checked on her and expressed their worries. It's nice to live in such a caring environment.

Thought: I think Zoot skipped a groove, man.