ds has just chipped his front tooth

[xsquared]

He had a clash with someone in football and he can feel that part of his tooth has been damaged, and isn't taking it well at all.

He will be phoning the dentist tomorrow to get an emergency appointment and that's all we can advise him for now.

Can someone who's had it done please reassure us that he will be okay?

Its a chipped tooth of course he will be ok. Just need to see what the dentist advises in the morning. His wallet might not be very happy after that though.

How old is he? He'll be fine, teeth can be fixed, crowned, veneered, built up, replaced if necessary, there's so many options, it's very unlikely that he would be left with a permanently chipped tooth because nothing can be done. They may not be cheap options, but they are options. Don't panic!

My ds fell flat on his face in the playground and chipped the bottom third of his tooth right off. The dentist built it up and you cant tell. He had to wear a gum shield for sports for a few months to make sure the tooth was stable but it's fine.

Thank you both. It's good to hear that it can be easily (although not cheaply!) fixed. I suspect it must be a fairly common dental injury.

He's 19 @NellyTimes and back from university.

Your poor ds @Justgivemesomepeace, but I'm glad he's got his smile back. Was it a long procedure in terms of operating and recovery?

Bonding. I hit my two front teeth in Uni. Dentist popped on some bonding and voila- you’d never know. Had it done in a lunch hour. Lasted twenty years before I chipped them again. 🙄Back for more bonding.

Just an edit to say NHS said £175 for two teeth, private £250 a tooth- I want whitening so going with the latter. As a student would he get a discount? Not sure.

Thank you @RickyGervaislovesdogs for your anecdote. I'm glad they did a decent job.

My DS chipped the corner off his adult front tooth 6months after it came through. Not gonna lie I cried! Mainly, because I felt to blame. Dentist said to leave it because any repair wouldn't stay on that long (because he was 6) but that it would be an easy fix as an adult. Once his gap started to close (around age 8) he started to dislike the chip and last time we went she repaired it. You genuinely can't tell. The dentist said it wouldn't last long but so far it's been fine. Think it's been over a year now.

Happened to my daughter. Dentist put some.composite on to even then up, lasted about 2y then fell off, she isn't fussed enough to have it replaced. Cost about £200 for weekend emergency appt and composite.

I got hit in the face with a cricket ball when I was a teenager and I sympathise with your poor son , it is mentally very traumatising as your smile is so important. Mine was very bad and the tooth went black , so I can reassure you about the very worst from experience- and it is not the end of the world -

1. the tooth can be built up with white composite if it is not as bad as mine.
2. If it can’t be built up due to colour change he can have a veneer . I have only had to change mine twice in over 30 years.

Even if a veneer is needed the dentist will disguise it with composite .

My daughter chipped her 2 front teeth aged 17, she's 34 now. The next day the dentist built them up with composite bonding, you can't tell that it's not her actual teeth and she hasn't needed them redone since then. It was done in an hour or so from what I remember.

How old is your son? I'm assuming its an adult tooth and not a milk tooth? Does he have the missing piece?
DH had a chip from his front tooth. His NHS dentist stuck it back on repeatedly and within weeks it would always fall off. They advised he'd need to pay thousands for veneers on all his front teeth.

He was working abroad part of each year and the dentist abroad added a tiny pin and the chip has stayed in place for 15yrs! This may well be an old school approach, but it worked and was 1000x cheaper than than the work the NHS recommended at the time.

dd chipped her front tooth at a similar age. Easily fixed at the dentist. The fat lip took longer to heal and don't ask about her knees.
Skateboarding is a bad idea.

DS did this 12 years ago. The dentist used bonding and did a great job. He said it may yellow over time but it hasn’t and is still going strong. It only took a short time to fix.

I've had a fake corner of my right front tooth since I was seven. 44 years later it's still indistinguishable from the rest of my real tooth and I've never had to have it replaced or repaired, which is really quite remarkable.

Thank you all for your contributions and stories of success with repairing.

That sounds nasty @GoldenPineapple15, but I'm glad it worked out in the end.

DS is 19 @JC03745, and as far as I know he hasn't got the missing piece or he would have shown us. Utterly shocking what the NHS were quoting for your DH's treatment, but I'm pleased to hear he had it fixed easily and without having to pay a high cost.

DH had a look and couldn't see anything from the front, so I guess from a cosmetic point of view, it wouldn't be so obvious, but it's the infection that I'm worried about.

Try not to dwell on the worst case scenario. I did get an infection initially but had a root canal from the back of the tooth and a veneer on the front . It will be fixable. Try not to worry and don’t google . Dentistry has come even further since I had mine done and even then it was treatable .
If it is not sensitive it is unlikely the crack has gone to root level . My Dh cracked a molar to the root and that was agony ( but fixed with a crown.)

Thank you @GoldenPineapple15. I shall stop worrying for him and get to sleep!

OP my partner has a chip in his front tooth. Unless he told me I’d never ever have known. It’s been fixed and looks perfect. Your son will be ok