Tooth Fairies

Amber lost her two front teeth aftern weeks of dread and with much coaxing from us to just pull the damned teeth off! She had been stubborn at being taken to the dentist. She didn't want us to put anything on her gums - ice perhaps, or, a toothache drop - no! She was adamant that we leave her two front teeth, hanging like two naughty kids on a monkey bar using only one hand and using the other to wave at us in a taunting manner, all alone.

One just miraculously jumped off her mouth in her sleep and thankfully she was pragmatic enough to awake and also awaken me to show me the already free trickster of a tooth and declare that she will give it to the tooth fairy. In her excitement, an this was whilst getting a glass of water from the water cooler in the kitchen, she dropped the loose tooth and there it has joined the mysteries of the white and sometimes off-white expanse of the kichen floor-dom. Reassuring her that giving one's tooth to the rats/mice is also a good option and told her some long-forgotten Filipino parents' tale about exchanging your tooth for rodent-tooth as they are quite sturdy and strong. Still half asleep, she accepted this and didn't make any more fuss.

Front teeth number two took its time by simple hanging in there in usual annoying fashion, being almost but not quite out, giving my poor daughter a hard time. She was by now a bit restless to have it taken but the long weekend (3 day off) meant closed dental offices as well. She finally agreed to an ice cube to ease the pain in her gums and with her own chubby fingers swaying the tooth sideways, she managed to take it off and with much pride!

She is now totally "bungi" (with gaps in her teeth) and proud of it! She's been showing everyone who would care to spare the time and attention her missing front teeth. However she went to school today and started it by bot opening her mouth for fear of being teased. But seeing another classmate in the same situation, they wore their gaps as a medal of sorts, showing it off like battle scars. She wrote a note to the tooth fairy and enclosed her second front tooth in an envelop. Now I'm thinking of what trinket to give her in exchange...a new set of toothbrush and toothpaste would be pragmatic, but what about the fun?

Letter to tooth fairy, photos of the happy "bungi" and more Amber stories to follow in my next blogs so watch this space!