赤ちゃんの時、乳歯が生えてくるのが標準と比べて早かったBoyです。初めての歯は３ヶ月半の時点で発見されました。そんなBoyももう５歳。こどもちゃれんじの教材で、子供の歯は抜けて大人の歯に生え変わる、などとお勉強をしたところでした。ある日、歯磨きを嫌がるBoyの口をあんぐり開けさせて歯磨きをしようとしたときのことでした。
「何じゃこりゃ？」
When Boy was a baby, he got his first child tooth relatively early. The first one came through when he was only three and a half months. Now Boy is 5 years old. Recently, he watched an educational program, explaining how baby teeth eventually make way for adult teeth. One day, Boy was refusing brushing his teeth. After much discussion, we got him him to open his mouth and tried to brush his teeth....
"What are they?"
下前歯のあたりがなんかおかしい。よく見ると・・・
「わー！大人の歯が生えてる！」
しかも子供の歯も抜けてないのに、その奥に出て来た、というわけです。しかも2本も・・・。ちょっとお見苦しい写真ですが。
Something strange had appeared in the lower jaw. When we looked carefully....
"Wow! His adult teeth are coming!"
But his baby teeth were still there as well. Those adult teeth grew behind the baby teeth, while the baby teeth were still there. Two of them! The picture is not beautiful but please have a look.
下前歯が4本・・・汗。焦って歯医者さんに連絡してみると、
「そのうち乳歯も抜けるし、大人の歯はその後に行くべきところに行くから様子をみてください。」とのこと。ちょっと不安を抱えながらも見守る事に。
Four lower front teeth... We were a bit worried and contacted our dentist.
"The child teeth will eventually get out and it is likely that the adult teeth will move to the appropriate position."
We decided to monitor them...
日本滞在中、うち一本の乳歯は本格的にぐらつき始め（上の写真。一本は全く向きがおかしくなっている）、ある日硬めのクッキーを食べているときのことでした。
「あ、歯が抜けた！」
と1本目は無事に抜けたわけであります。
While we were in Japan, one baby tooth started moving a lot (The picture above. The direction of one tooth is very strange). And when he was eating relatively hard cookie...
"Oh! My tooth is out!"
The first one was out safely.
さて、乳歯の奥に生えてた大人の歯ですが、どうなったと思います？次の日に見てみると、もうすでに抜けた乳歯のあった場所に移動して来ていました。（段違いになった大人の歯が見えますか？）
What do you think what happened on a adult tooth after the child one was gone away? When I checked his mouth in the next day, I observed that one of the adult tooth had already started moving to the location of the baby tooth. (Do you see the not aligned teeth?)
歯医者さんの言った通りだわ。あるべきところに行くのね。。。素晴らしき、人間の力です。
The dentist was right. The adult tooth just moves to where it should be. Wonderful human nature!
さて、この抜けた乳歯ですが、どうしたら良いのでしょう？私が子供の頃は、「ネズミのように丈夫な歯になりますように」とお願いしながら、下の歯が抜けたら上に放り投げる、上の歯が抜けたら土に埋めるなどしてましたけどね。そんな時に活躍したのがこちら。
So what can we do with a baby tooth after it comes out? When I was small, according to Japanese tradition, I threw teeth from my lower jaw towards roof, and teeth from my upper jaw towards the ground. This supposedly gives you adult teeth as strong as a mouse's teeth. That was a bit complicated to arrange, but at least we can collect the teeth in a small container, pictured below.
何だと思いますか？なんと、これ、乳歯入れなのです。ずいぶん前にお友達から頂いていて、大切に保管してました。ついに日の目をみる事に。
What do you think this is? This is a teeth container. Boy got it from his friend long ago, and I manage to save it from getting lost or broken. Finally we can use it!
一本入りましたー。（しかし、これに最終的に20本入るのかしら・・・？）
現在はもう一本も抜けて、２本入りとなってます。
Since we took the picture, the second baby tooth came out as well. (I do wonder if this container can hold 20 teeth in the end??)
Boyちょっと大人の仲間入りです。
Boy has set foot in the adult world! Or in the adult dental world, at least.