You'd think by now, with two rowdy boys, that I've seen everything you can imagine in their mouth.
They have eaten dog food (yuck!).
They have eaten (and swallowed) washers. I'll leave it to your imagination on how I know that.
They have eaten crayons.
They have chewed on toothbrushes.
They have chewed on my marathon medals as teething rings.
They have chewed the tires off matchbox cars.
They have eaten paper, grocery lists, checks, homework and tissues.
But I have to say what I saw in Chester's mouth this morning scared the living daylights out of me. He opened his mouth to laugh and I saw a big bubble on his gums where we've been waiting for his fourth molar to come in. Like a big infected looking chunk of gums. I realize no two kids are the same, but I didn't see this when Pete was teething, and he's kind of my benchmark. I reached in and poked at it with my finger, it was soft and squishy, and when I poked it it bled! But there was a tooth under there too, I felt it. Had my child's impending tooth somehow caused his gums to infected? When did this happen? Should I have noticed before today? Has it been causing him pain? How could I have been such an unobservant and terrible mother?
Once we were home and both boys were napping, I googled. Googling can cause even more worry as you find that whatever minuscule symptom your child has is indicative of a rare fatal disease (or a common and mild disease, but those are never the answers you trust). Thankfully, I found this:
Sometimes, as a tooth is breaking through the gums, small cysts can form which, when the pressure increases, break open. Normally, once the first blood is let, the bleeding stops and soon you see a little white tooth where the cyst once was. From ParentTime.com
Phew, I can breathe again, and now I just have to get back to the laundry and dirty dishes with what's left of nap time so the house isn't a wreck when Ryan gets home.
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