to be quietly gutted for my beautiful DD

[namechange505]

DD had an accident at school a couple of years ago and fell into some concrete causing quite a bit of damage to her front teeth. This week she had felt one of the fillings that the dentist had used to cap and rebuild one of her teeth moving slightly. We made an appointment on Tues yesterday to check it out and then another one yesterday after school to replace the filling.

Unfortunately at yesterday's appointment it became apparent that her tooth had split quite badly and part of it had to be removed. The split went beneath the gum-line resulting in extensive work to try to cover the exposed nerve and rebuild some semblance of a tooth temporarily. (Apologies if anyone is squeamish…) She was in the chair for over 3 hours and is on strong painkillers and antibiotics. She was understandably very upset by the whole thing.

She is going to need some serious dental work going forward, likely she will lose the tooth altogether but we will know more in a few days. Unfortunately there was very little tooth left to work with and the resulting temporary fix is very fragile. The dentist is speaking with colleagues tomorrow to see what the best course of action is but likely an extraction and false tooth on a plate followed by a bridge until she's 18 when they can start looking at an implant.

I ended up googling teens with broken teeth to see if there were any success stories (I know...) but all I could find were stories from people who "luckily didn't lose the tooth" or "luckily they were able to put a cap on it" but that's unlikely in my DD's case.

She's had lots of cuddles and is being very stoic about the whole thing. I keep telling her (and myself) that there are far worse problems to have and that nobody is seriously ill or dying. It's just a tooth and we'll get it sorted.

But AIBU to be quietly gutted for her that she's losing a tooth so young due to a stupid accident? Anyone have any positive stories about similar situations that might cheer her up?

My ex husband lost nearly all of one of his front teeth in a daft accident. With the cap in you really wouldn’t know the difference. In fact, i’d forgotten until this thread.

Poor girl that sounds horrible. I’d have thought thought that a whole new tooth screwed into the gum would be the best option? I’ve got fillings on my front teeth and they cause me problems and become visible every couple of years, it’s rubbish. I’d prefer a false tooth that I never have to worry about again.

Your poor dd.

Personally I would recommend seeing s specialist in prosthodontics or implants. They really can work miracles. She will be okay

The guy I went out with at uni had had a similar type of accident when he was a young teen (in his case he managed to get run over by a black cab taxi and whacked his front teeth out with the taxi's wing mirror). Honestly - unless you knew he had a plate in for them (at that point in time - he was looking at the implant route but don't know if he ever did it) you would never have known until he got drunk and delighted in flipping them out as a drunken party trick. It also did not affect his snogging ability one bit either - I can personally vouch for that one.

So sorry to hear about your DD and what's happened. We went through a similar situation. Is the work being done at her dentist rather than a dental hospital?

My own DD had an accident at school when she was 9 and broke off two thirds of one of her front teeth. It was fixed back on at the time and we thought the tooth had been saved but a few months later she got an infection so bad that she was nearly hospitalised. She had to undergo root canal work with no pain relief whatsoever and i was in bits watching her go through this.

Anyway they kept reattaching the original tooth every time it broke off until it was too worn. The last repair was made up of filling material and (fingers crossed) that's lasted for the last 4 years. She is very aware of what she can and can't bite into with it. To look at her you can't tell that it's anything other than a normal tooth.

We're getting close to the time when she could have an implant but she's not sure she wants to go through with it. Definitely more anxious about treatment now that she was when she was 9 years old!

I think I count as a success story!

I fell off a bike age 7 (just as I’d got my adult front teeth!) and cracked a root in my right front tooth. Years of extensive dental work, fluoride injections and trips to Leeds Dental Hospital for pioneering treatment were sadly in vain. At 10 it was obvious the tooth couldn’t be saved and I had an extraction and was given a plate with a tooth on it.

To be honest, the plate was a bit of a disaster - it looked Ok but it broke very easily and I got used to carrying superglue with me in case it happened when I was out and about. It also made the roof of my mouth really sensitive. Thankfully I was quite quickly given a bridge which was a lot better but obviously not permanent.

I had my implant at age 15 (not sure if practices have changed and that’s why your daughter has to wait until 18?) and it was a fairly horrible process to go through (sorry, just being honest) but I hear it’s a lot more of a smooth process these days and doesn’t take as long.

I’m now 30 so have had my implant for 15 years and not once have I had any issue with it. No one would know it was a fake tooth - people are surprised if I tell them - I can eat normally and bite into hard things without a second thought. It doesn’t ever hurt and it looks just as good as it did on day one.

YANBU to be gutted for her, I know how she feels and if it was my kid I’d be gutted too. But it can be fixed with good results.

Message me if you have any questions or anything!

I think be gutted that she lost them in the first place but implants are better than caps imo. My ds has his front two capped and they are not like normal teeth as soon as he is old enough he will get implants.

Dh lost both his front teeth as a teen. He had crowns with metal work behind, securing them to his neighbouring teeth. He's now 40 and never had to have them replaced and you'd never know.

Poor DD I hope they can sort out a suitable solution for you quickly. I know that would have knocked my confidence a lot as a teen.

My mum lost all her top teeth as a teenager following severe childhood neglect. I didn't know until I was late 20's and she had a problem with her denture.

If an implant is the worst case scenario long term, then it's not too bad. It will be a bit of a faff for 4 years but that time will soon fly.

She might feel nervous kissing in case the other person can tell she has a bridge. I'm not sure on that front, perhaps others can reassure?

One of my DDs knocked a huge chip out of a front tooth while swimming and got a cap which eventually fell out and was redone. We will see how things progress but she will need something more permanent some day I fear, costing $$$ (USA). Meanwhile she has to watch what she eats. No biting into apples or crusty bread.

You and DD have my sympathy.

She might feel nervous kissing in case the other person can tell she has a bridge. I'm not sure on that front, perhaps others can reassure?

Like I said - my ex boyfriend had his two front teeth on a plate as he'd knocked them out and it didn't affect his snogging ability at all... being a bit of a prat affected it and is the reason he's an ex - but not his dental status at all!

I know that feeling. DD fell off the packing shelf in ALDI (she was trying to hoist herself onto it while I was busy at the till) and fell onto her face knocking out her just-come-through adult tooth. She was about 6 when this happened.

Dental hospital shoved it back in but it didn't re-implant itself. However it didn't turn black or fall out either. She is 14 now and has a dead front tooth that looks completely fine.

She'll need a implant at some point. I sympathise with you though OP. The rest of her teeth are straight and healthy. One mistake which has caused and will cause so much hassle makes me really sad.

Have no idea why I put Aldi in capitals.

OP, me and my little sister have the same protruding front teeth and had the same accident. I ended up with both my front teeth capped, they look great now.

My sister had to have the extraction, bridge and then implant. Hers looks amazing. You would never ever know.

I’m sorry for your DD having to go through this but it will end up alright. PM me if you need more reassuring details or a picture?

There is a fantastic graphic novel called Smile about a teenage girl who knocks out her front teeth and the years of dental work that followed. It is based on the authors actual life. It's a really good book.

My two best friends both had similar accidents at age 14 that required them to have two false front teeth. You would never ever know and even having been told, they don't look any different to their other teeth.

Smile

Have a hug OP, it's always upsetting when anything happens to our children, but dentistry has advanced so much, she'll be fine.
I too would go privately to a cosmetic dental surgeon, if at all possible.
Their state of the art surgeries are amazing, everything is faster, pain relief is excellent, and results achieved faster.🌸

I understand you are upset but at the same time think a bit of perspective is needed. Given all the terrible things that can happen to our loved ones, a broken tooth is way down the list.

I have a friend with 2 DCs both of whom needed extensive dental work, due to what seemed a genetic issue with their teeth, including extractions, bridges, braces and implants. They both now have beautiful teeth as young adults.

They can do so much these days with dental work and she may end up with a tooth that looks no different to her own.

I can understand why you are upset, but in all honesty, in perspective, it's not the end of the world.

I broke a front tooth aged about 8. Had it capped, later had a veneer fitted, and for years all was well. In the end it had to come out (nearly 40 years later) because of an abscess in the filled root. Then I had a plate and a bridge and found them both vile. Got an implant (complicated in my case - bone grafts and all) and now it’s as if I never lost that tooth. Put some money aside for an implant, OP, and all will be well.

@namechange505 I lost my front tooth aged 11 in an accident, no saving it, completely gone. I had to go without for a while which was horrible but I was then made a false one on a plate, and later aged about 16/18 I had a bridge fitted. They have to file down the tooth next to it extensively to attach the bridge to it so effectively your other front tooth goes from being perfect to very thin ! That bridge lasted me almost 20 years, as my face changed over the years and things move I became unhappy with it, also naturally your real teeth age and change colour, whereas the bridge kept its whiteness so I felt it stood out. I finally had a new one made 3 years ago, it wasn’t cheap and wasn’t available on the NHS as it was ‘cosmetic’ - basically it wasn’t loose or broken but I just didn’t like it. I was very excited to get my new one but when the dentist temporarily fitted it it felt and looked awful - she agreed ! It was the wrong colour and shape completely. I refused to let her permanently fit it and she totally agreed and had a new one made. I had to go without a front tooth for over a week while she did though - didn’t leave the house unless I had no choice !!!
Anyway new tooth was made, perfect match and fit, all good. I don’t even think about it now and people don’t even realise unless I tell them it’s false. One bit of advice I would give is to get her some fixodent for the plate and keep it nice and clean. And if you aren’t happy with it when it’s made then don’t accept it.

Thank you so much for all the replies, it has certainly cheered me up. As I said in the title, I am "quietly" gutted for her. When I'm with her I have been very positive and upbeat which is helping her keep a healthy perspective. I'm also pragmatic about it, I know life could deal out far worse cards.

It just hurts to see her go through it. She's such a wonderful, gentle and beautiful kid and is going through that classic self-conscious phase. She's mentally very resilient though, makes me even more proud of her.

We do have a private dentist (it is going to cost a fortune I know) and he's consulting with a specialist surgeon today to discuss her case and figure out the best course of action in the short term until an implant can be put in so I do feel that he's getting specialist input which is great. We're going to start saving for the implant!

From the sound of it people seem to adapt reasonably well to bridges and who knows what new strides they might have made in dentistry in the next 5 years!

I will make sure I talk to her about the stories I heard on here, particularly the ones about her future snogging abilities being apparently unaffected! Made me smile!!

May I please urge anyone considering extensve and expensive orthodontic treatment to investigate dentists in Budapest? It is the orthodontic capital of Europe, DH had superb treatment there at less the half the cost of the UK estimate, even taking travel cost into account.

@makingmammaries that's particularly nice to hear as the dentist did say that it's not ideal to remove a tooth so far ahead of an implant as it may mean that she will need a bone graft when the time comes. Glad to hear it can end in success!