I got one of those calls every parent dreads Friday night; my 8 year old daughter Mackenzie had knocked out her two front (permanent) teeth when she fell off her skooter.  Luckily my wife Mary Jane had worked for years as a Dental Assistant and she went out and found the two teeth and jammed them back into Mackenzie’s mouth (my wife notes that she didn’t “jam them back” but rather carefully worked them back into place).  She then called the oral surgeon who was no where to be found.  The next call was to her old boss, our family dentist Dr. Steven Janko (office in Hopedale, Ma.) who was in Boston for the evening.  He had her call our orthodontist Dr. Carrie Webb of Whitinsville (again, my wife notes that Dr. Janko had her call the oral surgeon, and that calling Dr. Webb had been her own idea).  Dr. Webb directed MJ to get her to her office on Church St. right away.  Even though we’re only a few miles away, Dr. Webb beat her there.  The teeth were apparently put back in correctly, and Dr. Webb put on some braces to stabilize the teeth.  Time will tell…

I’m utterly thankful to Dr. Webb, who’s calm manner made it much easier on my daughter, wife, and even this distraught dad.  We could not possibly have expected such great service, and such a caring, thoughtful provider!

The following day, Dr. Janko took xrays and got pictures to document the accident.  Again, incredible service, from a man I’m proud to call my family dentist. 

Mackenzie’s a trooper; she really sat well through all the stuff she had to endure.  It was great to see her smile again on Sunday.  They say there’s a 90% chance she’ll keep the teeth, although we won’t know for a little while if it’ll require a root canal.

Again, thanks to Carrie Webb and Steve Janko – you guys are absolutely the best dentists and caregivers around!  And also thanks to my wife Mary Jane for being so cool under fire and doing the right thing.  I realize now I wouldn’t have known what to do…

(Edited for clarity at the request of my wife…4/10/07)