Son has smashed his front (adult) teeth out :-(

[straightbananas]

I am looking for some reassurance from others who have gone through this. Son (12) who is a keen sports man smashed his front teeth on the weekend. He was running and he tripped and fell face first into what was either a branch or root of a tree (do not know for sure as no-one witnessed it and he is not entirely sure). He was staying with his dad for the weekend when it happened.

He went to the dentist who has temporarily filled them as he has an away day with school at the end of this week and wouldn't be able to go if that wasn't done as the remnants were too sharp and were quite dangerous (if he had fallen again, they would have gone straight through his lip).

My concern is that I do not want him playing sport this week. Ex-h insists I am being ridiculous and the dentist 'apparently' told ex-h that he could play as long as he wore a gumguard he could buy in a shop. Well as far as I remember from all his sport, he needs a custom fit one, not just some random one he can buy and he doesn't have one at the moment. I think it is unwise to play until the teeth have been properly fixed or he has a custom properly fitted gum guard as surely any whack to his face is going to dislodge what has been done?

Am I being totally ridiculous as I don't think I am but ex-h has a way of making me feel like I am!

You can buy a gum shield then you have to mould it to your mouth so it becomes custom fit. Mine came with an instructional cd! I'm not sure how effective they are.

You're not being ridiculous, I would feel the same as you.

thanks thornrose. It sounds like madness to me and I am not sure any dentist would have encouraged him to play sport straight away!

If they are temporary fillings then the dentist may not be that concerned about protecting them?

My ds (aged 9) chipped both of his front teeth quite badly a few weeks ago during a playground collison. The dentist sealed them as a temporary measure before he went back to have caps put in.

He can play sports again as to be honest, the worst of the damage is now done. You can't prevent him from getting another knock and if he did, well like I said, the worst has already happened.

His teeth might be sensitive, depending on how close to the nerve they were broken. You will need to keep an eye on the remaining bits of teeth because nerve damage can occur even years after such a trauma and can result in the tooth becoming blackened. If that happens, then an extraction is probably needed I'm afraid.

I would push for your ds to have proper crowns fitted whilst they are free on the NHS. They last around 15-20 years and with those in then yes, I would say it's worth getting gumshields as they aren't as strong as his natural teeth and so a little more protection wouldn't go amiss.

Until he gets his crowns though, there's no reason why he can't play sport if he wants to.

It's a horrible thing to happen isn't it? My ds only has temporary caps as children are more likely to keep knocking them out. The damage is done now and it will be with them for life

Oh and OP, I did ask about sports and I was told there was no reason why he couldn't participate.

For my ds's sake, I just wanted everything to go back to normal quickly as he was very shocked and traumatised by the event.

thanks everyone. Yes, it's horrid to think they will need to have treatment that lasts for life :(. Not one NHS dentist would see him as a NHS emergency so we have had to go to a private dentist to have it done. Even the NHS ones which agreed to see him said they would only see him as a private patient for an emergency grr. Don't start me on that.

I think my concern is that he is desperate to go on this away day and if he knocks his teeth again, these temporary fillings will just go but I guess you are right and the damage is now done :( my poor baby!

I also feel bad because I wasn't there but I guess that is separated life for you

The gum shields you can buy in sports shops have to be moulded to the shape of your son's teeth. You put it in hot water and then when it is flexible, put it in his mouth and mould it around his teeth. If it were me, I would be concerned that in doing this it could be uncomfortable for DS as he only had his accident at the weekend.

I'm also worried that it might be too sensitive still as it did hurt him and I doubt a ball in the face, even with a gum guard, is going to be very pleasant :(.

I hate the fact that ex-h's main concern is not his wellbeing but the fact that he turns up to play for these teams (that ex-h signed him up for!).

Hey, I wasn't there for my son when it happened either. School didn't notice that he'd broken both his front teeth, just that he'd bitten his lip which is what they told me on the phone in the morning. He'd actually bitten through his lip and went through the entire school day not speaking, not eating and not drinking and not once did they think to send him home . When I did get him home he was clearly in shock and started to vomit that night.

I think your ds is going to be extra careful with his teeth so don't worry too much. If he does knock them again, yes the temporary fillings might come out but if that happens, you'll just have to book another appointment to get them re-done. It's not the end of the world and actually you are right, the NHS does not class it as an emergency.

My son was seen the next day by the NHS dentist largely because of his age and probably because I started crying on the phone so the assistant took pity on me (this happening in the same month that FIL had a stroke in front of us and dh was made redundant, so I was feeling very sensitive). He was checked to see how bad the break was and if it had affected his nerves. He lost 1/3 of one of his teeth and 1/4 of the other.

The dentist sealed them so that they wouldn't be sensitive when he ate and drank and we made an appointment for him to have his caps fitted around a week and a half later.

Be warned that the dentist will use the drill to shave off any jagged edges before fitting the caps.

I tell you, it was such a nightmare! Poor you and poor ds

I would definitely get gumshields for the future. Explain to your ds that his caps will not be as strong as his teeth and can break off. I was told that ds can't bite into an apple or anythink like that as they simply aren't strong enough anymore

If your ds knows what the risks are but is happy to go then I would let him. He's probably been looking forward to it and it would be a shame for this accident to prevent his trip.

What does your ds think about gumshields?

anything

I work at a Primary school and saw a girl knock out her front teeth. It was really shocking and I'm ashamed to say I struggled to remain calm.

How bloody awful that the school didn't notice Rhubarb.

I imagine your ds might be quite happy to wear a gumshield, they can look quite cool to a 12 year old and he must feel a bit vulnerable right now.

Similar happened to me when I was young - both front teeth knocked out when I went over the handlebars of my bike (it only had a front brake, what were my parents thinking??). The teeth were recovered & stuck back in, but as mentioned by another poster, one never properly took unbeknown to me until 20yrs later I go to have my teeth prettied up for getting married & the dentist found there was nothing left to work on. Money for wedding spent on an implant

I was not aware this could ever be a possibility so just mentioning as you might like to have it in the back of your head &/or make sure your son knows this could crop up in the future, not just for the staggering cost but it is major long-term work. Also good advice is not to smoke - in general of course! - but also in that it can really adversely affect blood circulation to gums & interfere with teeth, complicating things when you have dental issues.

Hope he is alright, & you are. Looking on the bright side in a Pythonesque kind of way!), it's always a good story to tell about how your front teeth were knocked out!

Can you call and speak with the dentist who treated him?

thanks everyone, you've made me feel loads better and sorry to hear all your stories about teeth too :(. Aren't they a right pain!

I think he will probably find gumshields cool, he is just at that age where any quite impressive injury is something he is proud of (boys!).

I think I will call the dentist, thanks, that's a good plan not that I am doubting ex-h but I imagine he may not have taken in what was said to him clearly (as I probably wouldn't do in an emergency too to be fair) so it might be worth having the advice repeated.

I get ds back tomorrow after school so when I get back from work, I'll have a chat to him properly and see how he feels about it all as he's very monosyllabic on the phone!

DD (8) broke two adult teeth about a month ago. The dentist saw her, cleaned and sealed them and we are waiting on a hospital referral for long term planning. One issue for her is one tooth was smashed down to the gum line so that can't just be treated in the way the other half smashed tooth can. We have one built up with a white filling material to look like a tooth and the other still at gum level with a seal on top - though it just started to get sore a few days ago and she went onto antibiotics. I don't know what they will do for the longer term though.

I hope your son is ok.

thanks beautifulgirls, sounds v similar to ds. They are going to reassess him in a few weeks time to come up with a plan for treatment. He has one smashed to the gum which I think will not be salvaged and another that had a big chunk smashed out but they are not 100% sure whether that one will have to go (though chances are it will). He has those temporary fillings now which I hope will last till he gets reassessed!

DD's "filling" tooth looks solid still over a month on. I think they can last a long while if done properly. Fingers crossed!