A trip to the dentist

Ceci has knocked her front teeth so many times it is a miracle she hasn't lost them both. One has been declared dead by our dentist at home. It is gray, and permanently loose. At a check-up right before we came we were told to watch for a blister-like bump on the gum that would indicate an abscessed tooth, and it MUST be pulled. Of course, it is better to have the tooth to hold the space for the permanent tooth that will come when she is six or seven. Sure enough a blister has formed. (Never a dull moment!) We found a pediatric dentist in Monaco. We all piled in the car curious to experience a French dentist; hoping for friendly fish tanks and post visit prizes. The office was in an apartment building and we had to ring to get in. There was a waiting room with some toys. It was a separate room, and the receptionist (and possibly an assistant) closed the door after us when we went in. After about 10 minutes we saw, through glass panes in the door, a woman rushing in looking totally frazzled, peeling off her purse and doing a superman-like change from street clothes to a white jacket and white shoes. It was the dentist. I didn't like how frazzled she looked, and when she came in and called Ceci's name she acted like she was going to fit our 30 minute appointment into the next 5 minutes. She was gruff and abrupt. She took us to a big, empty room with a dentist chair and a few tools in the corner. I guess we were spoiled in Redmond. Our dentist office was like going to a spa. This dentist was no frills. Ceci got in the chair expecting sunglasses and cartoons but the dentist ordered her around in French, every once in awhile giving a forced smile and making her voice sound cutesy in a crazed, "I'm a mean nasty witch but I'm trying to fool you into thinking I'm a nice kid dentist HA HA!" Seriously, she scared us. After one quick look she said the tooth must come out. "Impossible to save it!" (Impossible is a word that doesn't exist in Geoff's vocabulary and I could sense the hairs raising on his back of his neck!) Had the spa dentist (and another pediatric dentist's second opinion) not just told us the same thing 2 months ago I would of thought this lady was hasty and a complete wacko.

Thursday morning we go back, and Ceci will only have one front tooth. Pray for her!