Baby Teeth

This particular topic holds a relative significance to me as it something I am in close proximity to nearly every day, and that is, of course, human dentition with the specific focus of deciduous teeth, also know in layman’s terms as ‘baby teeth’. It is matter of fact that even in our own bodies, we experience a form of death and resurrection thousands of times every second, as cells die and are replaced by new healthy ones. However, the deep metaphor of death resurrection is perhaps never more potently tangible and real as when a child of age loses a baby tooth and begins to see the succedaneus - or adult tooth - come up in its place. It is not simply a sign that a young person is growing and maturing properly. It is even more of a sign that there is a resurrection coming! Something new, better…more permanent, if you will allow me, is coming! Herein lies a very peculiar and particularly rich metaphor, though. Often, these so-called ‘baby teeth’ have been ground, drilled, filled, worn, beaten, battered, and perhaps even lost a battle with a coffee table corner or a sibling’s noggin. The point is, the child brings a worn, battered, sometimes even dead tooth (preserved by a pulpectomy, albeit!) to the equation. Then God says, “I’ll take that decaying/dead one. Here’s a brand new one that’s even bigger and better - vibrant and alive! Death and resurrection, and a great exchange - all packaged in the life story of a baby tooth - and we get to witness this, on average, about twenty times apiece, not in front of our face, but in our face.