I would like to stay it was a "normal day at work" when I received the phone call from Jari, but due to COVID-19 and its impact on our work schedule, my day was anything but normal. However, this was a good thing when Jari called me explaining that Hazel had fallen somehow and was bleeding a lot from her teeth and it was hard to get it to stop bleeding. I would like to say how she felt but it is still a bit of a mystery. Through sobs, she stated she had somehow slipped while climbing over the couch upstairs and hit her teeth. A few pictures from Jari let me know that these teeth were likely on their way out...
One nice thing about being military overseas, particularly at Spangdahlem, is that there is a pediatric dentist who works on base and he happens to be a really great guy. I texted Dr. Welsch and called the dental clinic and in spite of COVID-19, they had us come in right away.
My workload was minimal and so I was able to take Hazel from Jari after she dropped her off on base. I should note that it is no small thing to handle 4 small kids at home in a crisis and Jari deserves all the credit in the world. She was a rock star with not only Hazel but all the kids.
Hazel was so worried she was going to lose her teeth, but they were still her baby teeth so it did not seem like too bad a deal. A quick exam and X-ray later confirmed that they needed to go.
Gratefully, medications allowed them to work quickly and 3 teeth later (and time for the meds to wear off) and she was smiling again. In spite of her fear and tears about losing her teeth, we caught her that night looking in the mirror and smiling over and over, thrilled she finally had some missing teeth.
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