Old Toothless

There must not have been enough to do in little ol' Laramie, Wyoming when I was a kid because before I even had teeth I was obsessed with brushing them.

My sister, Stephanie, was quickly vaulted into the status of "Best Sister Ever" when she splurged and got me a toothbrush for my second Christmas-present frenzy.

She had already secured her place in that category when she spared me from the most ridiculous name two Swiss immigrants could come up with for a child: "Rawhide." (Although I never heard her argument, I suspect the term "porn star" might have been used heavily when Stephanie talked them out of ruining my life -- and hers -- with such an absurd name).

While I dodged one unfortunate name, by my second birthday I had become known as "Old Toothless" as I was still gumming my food while other kids were having fun biting their parents and other kids on the playground. Nonetheless, thanks to Stephanie I had a toothbrush and happily began brushing my phantom teeth.

Not much has changed since then, as I still am fastidious about dental hygiene, and pretend it is a sport or a hobby like making hood ornaments shaped like ducks.

Oddly enough, I now wonder if that was the cause of Quinn's early delivery.

While searching for something completely unrelated, I came across some research done at Case Western Reserve that suggests a woman doesn't necessarily have to have gum disease to trigger premature labor.

From there, I found an online discussion where one woman, who also had an unexplained premature delivery as did I, speculated that it was the result of a teeth cleaning she had three weeks before her son was born. Appealing to other moms with similar scenarios to partake in her impromptu poll, I was startled to find that several had the same timeline before they went into premature labor.

In the volumes of literature expecting parents are flooded with, this was one I was sure I wouldn't let be a factor in my pregnancy. Which is precisely why I had my teeth cleaned in early January. . . just 18 days before Quinn was born.

Although the "poll" isn't large in number, and anything but scientific, it sure makes me wonder if there is a cause and effect connection there. (If anyone -- or their fourth-grader -- is looking for a good science or statistics project, here's a theory to test out. I'll even help hunt for a grant!)

In the meantime, I'm cautioning my pregnant friends from going to the dentist, and I personally won't go if I get another shot at baking a baby.

Gotta go brush these teeth. Night night!

Old Toothless & Miss Que'd