My child fell on their front tooth. Should I take them to the dentist?




            Your child falling can be scary. While it is normal for a toddler to fall as they learn to walk, if they have hit their front tooth it may bleed. You may also notice they have hit hard enough to knock the tooth loose.  A low-sugar popsicle is a great way to help reduce swelling and to keep your little ones’ mind off of having fallen.

            Take them to the dentist to make sure they have not caused any major damage to the tooth or mouth. If they do not have any pain, or it does not appear damaged, a regular check-up is fine. If your child is unusually fussy, or if the tooth is cracked or chipped, you’ll want to take them in right away. Dr. Fuller states, “Their fall may have caused nerve damage to the tooth requiring more extensive treatment.”
           
            If they lose a baby tooth due to a fall, while it is usually not a problem and there is not a lot you can do at that point, you’ll still want to have it looked at to make sure there are no other problems. Baby teeth hold the spot for permanent teeth and if the tooth is not there, their other teeth may move into that spot creating future challenges. A visit to the dentist can help determine if there is enough room or if some sort of appliance is needed to keep the space open until the permanent tooth erupts.
            If you are not sure if your child needs to see the dentist after a fall, please call Dr. Fuller’s office. They can give you more information about whether or not a general appointment or an emergency appointment is needed.

             

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 14, 2015 at 2:59 PM

    I haven't had to deal with anything like this before, but it's definitely good information to know. My kids generally don't like to admit that they're dealing with any kind of pain or discomfort, so I'd probably end up taking them to a dentist to get checked either way. I'd just have to hope that there's little to no damage to take care of.
    http://www.manitoudental.ca

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Your comment will be approved after it has been read by one of our staff.

Popular posts from this blog

What is a dental abscess?

Image
One of the most common conditions affecting children's teeth are dental abscesses.  Children with severe cavities often have teeth that abscess.  Abscess of lower left primary tooth.  NOTE the tissue swelling on the tooth. Radiograph of abscess on middle tooth.  Note the dark outline of the short root. Dental abscesses often start out as large cavities on the teeth. Once the cavity invades the pulp of the tooth the infection spreads to the bone. At that point the tooth is no longer salvageable. A dental abscess is a swelling of the tissue around an infected tooth. The following symptoms may result from a dental abscess.  Children can often present with facial swelling, fever,  altered eating habits, poor concentration, poor sleep patterns, breathing problems, and general malaise. The treatment that is always recommended is antibiotics and extraction. 
Read more

A gap between the teeth

Image
When your baby’s teeth first begin to come in and you notice that gap between their teeth when they smile, the family may coo that it’s cute. "However, it is very important that if your child has a gap in their teeth due to a maxillary frenum, or another reason, that it be corrected," says pediatric dentist Dr. Cameron Fuller. Your child’s education, speech and self-confidence is dependent upon it being corrected at an early age.             As your child gets older they are working on saying certain sounds. Children who are younger than five should be developing the ability to say all of the sounds. After five if these sounds are not solidified it will make it much more difficult for them to learn to correctly speak. “And by age seven if the sounds are not correct they run the risk of never being able to say them correctly,” says Dr. Cameron Fuller . By age five and six your child should be able to say th...
Read more

Baby teeth: What you should know.

The importance of oral health for a child is paramount.  So many aspects of a child's development depend on a healthy oral environment. At pediatric dentistry of Redlands we specialize in children's oral health, especially prevention. Here is a quick read from CNN on " Baby's teeth: What you should Know ."  
Read more