Tooth Grinding

In the picture above, notice how Lucy's teeth are clenched tightly together and how her jaw juts to the side. She is, or should I say Rett Syndrome is, grinding her teeth. I mentioned the tooth grinding in a previous post and here is what it looks like...all day long. (Lu was also just trying out some sponge curlers I got for her the day before , mom used to put these in my hair all the time and I would sleep in them. She looked so cute when I took them out!)

Below is a picture of what her tooth looks like from grinding it all day long. It totally freaks me and Chad out because we worry that it hurts or that she is going to hurt herself, but I took Lu to the dentist yesterday and he said that anything he would put on to protect it she will just bite off. He said too that she won't grind it down enough before it falls out that she will reach a nerve. When her adult tooth grows in, we will just have to deal with any damage that occurs when the time comes. The thing with Rett Syndrome though is that maybe she won't grind that tooth when in a few years, or tomorrow. She may not grind at all, or she might just grind the other tooth. Who knows. So, for now, there's nothing to be done about it.

But, in addition to the ground tooth update, I wanted to share what a wonderful experience we had at the dentist's office yesterday. We went to the brand new office of my childhood orthodontist, Dr. Harkins. The receptionist is a wonderful woman named Karen that I have known for a long time because her son was my boyfriend in high school. When we arrived, she came out to hug me and meet Lucy. I gave her one of Lucy's "purple cards" to read and share with the other staff. It occurred to me that I might have never mentioned these people cards before in any of my posts. We buy them from an organization called Girl Power 2 Cure. They are purple, and cute. They have Lu's picture on them and they explain what Rett Syndrome it, succinctly and clearly. They come in very handy. I often give them to people who have been extra kind, or extra rude. 

So I gave the hygienist a stack to pass around and everyone was so interested and friendly. But, what really made me so excited, and was so touching was that these people all read the card, which clearly states that Lu is cognitively aware and understands what is being said to her, and they just believed it. Not everybody does always just believe me, or the card, and they all just did. They immediately began talking to he rand treating her just like any other almost-four-year-old. It was wonderful!