Jack's teeth

Jack's dental issues have long been a concern, from the infected tooth he had to have pulled at a young age, to the ludicrous number of fillings he had to have when he was, I dunno, 6 years old. There were tears and wailing and discomfort. And Jack didn't have much fun, either.

So now we've moved on to a palette expander, not terribly unlike one I had myself way back when. For the last couple of weeks I've been using a little hook thingy to turn a wheel in it, with the result being it's moving his front teeth apart to make room for ones behind them. So he is looking kind of toothy these days. Also thin, since eating is difficult, especially certain foods (spaghetti...whoops), and he is not a kid who can afford to lose much weight.

But he has been a trooper about it. He lies down, opens wide, I turn the wheel, and sometimes it hurts. And he's sore. And I say, sorry, and he says it's OK. And a few minutes later he is playing like it's no big deal; I am the one shaken by the whole thing.

Anyway, it isn't a lot of fun, but I am proud that he's managed as well as he has.