figuring out those teeth

So yesterday we made a last minute decision to visit the dentist.  It's just been in recent years that we have had reliable, western-standard medical care in our city, and one of the perks is that this country is a lot more laid back about making appointments :)  Call in the morning, teeth cleaned that afternoon.

Only the little two boys, Matt and I needed cleanings.  But that can still make for a long wait.  Plan ahead for the win.

Also, that precious little smiling face right there in the red shirt... well, on this dental visit we confirmed that his mouth is a wreck.  sigh.

He is starting to loose baby teeth, so we did x-rays and he is indeed missing several adult teeth (of course he is... that section of his gum line never formed in utero so there was nowhere for the teeth buds to develop).  And now that he is loosing teeth he is needing a bone graft surgery, and after the surgery he will need some sort of dental bracing device to provide front teeth while he grows to maturity, and then some permanent false teeth.  In other words, that's a complicated grin you've been admiring in the photo above.

Good news is this boy has a Momma and a Daddy that are going to fight hard to get him what he needs when he needs it!

Also, he finally got his hands on the Bible we ordered as his reward for finishing reading the Beginners Bible.

This Bible had a complicated journey through Eastern Europe and several different hand-offs and just arrived in our city this weekend.  Now it's secure in his hot little hands, and he's feeling pretty good about that!