Help - baby broke a tooth :-(

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I'm absolutely devastated - fourteen month old DD has a broken front tooth. She fell in the park, I only saw it from behind, and at the time there was no blood, her teeth were all there, and she was crying so I was comforting her and didn't examine her teeth closely.

It was only later that I saw her tooth is broken diagonally and although the piece is still there, that bit is loose and wobbling. I phoned 111 and have a dental appointment for her in the morning. I've given her calpol in the meantime and she settled down to sleep fine.

I am devastated. And so angry with myself. She was grizzly and upset at lunchtime but I thought she was just tired. She's going to lose the tooth, isn't she? I know it's only a baby tooth but I feel so upset about it.

Oh bless you. No advice at all except try not to beat yourself up. Sending much sympathy, how awful for both of you.

My oldest chipped both his big front teeth as a toddler from falling over. No real damage done just cosmetic. Got adult teeth now and wouldn't even notice. Has the tooth become discoloured?

Thank you, @AnneLovesGilbert - I feel sick to my stomach about it.

@heart80s it hasn't become discoloured yet but I'm guessing it probably will; it's not even just chipped, which I could handle a lot easier, it's broken in half diagonally and the piece is just about hanging on. I'm pretty sure it's going to come off and then the tooth will die.

I feel your pain! My son lost one of his front teeth at the park last summer. The whole tooth came out and I was devastated. But you learn to get used it and he barely noticed anything was different apart from discomfort for a few day. His gums were sensitive and he had a swollen lip. It's quite a shock and I felt a lot of sadness thinking about never seeing his whole smile again but honestly can't imagine him with his tooth now! And so thankful it was the baby tooth and not adult ones!

Oh @Rosa76 thank you for your message - my first worry is any pain or discomfort, but I know that will pass. That's it, though - her beautiful big smile won't be the same. I think that's what is upsetting me right now. I'm sure I'll get used to it, like you have

My son knocked out a front tooth last summer just before he turned 2.
I cried on and off for days (I was heavily pg at the time!)

I still get upset about it sometimes but I just have to keep repeating THANK GOD it's not their adult teeth
The dentist told me its really common for them to damage their baby teeth. Sont beat yourself up, we can't prevent every bump.

My oldest took a piece off his front tooth when he was 11 months old. Tooth survived.
Friends Ds fell over on a cement floor at age 2 and knocked both front teeth out, Dentist left the gap and he had no front teeth till he was 6.
Hope the visit goes well tomorrow.

My poor baby needs the tooth extracted under general anaesthetic - it's happening tomorrow. I'm so upset - and worried about the risks. This is awful

Aww OP bless you! Sending love. And I hope your DC is ok xx

Oh I do feel for you OP.

My now toddler DD had to have a GA at 7 months old, though not for teeth, and DH and I were worried sick. We Googled so much stuff about it and went round and round in circles about the (minuscule) risks. Of course, it was all absolutely fine. The anaesthetists couldn’t have been more thorough or more careful. They really are extra vigilant with tiny people and we felt they did a great job looking after her.

In terms of practicalities, we didn’t find it all that hard to have her fasting beforehand. I think once we got to the hospital and I started to feel more jittery myself she began to lose it as well, but not before, so try and keep calm, though easier said than done, I know. On waking, she was cold for a short time and then very grumpy indeed for about 3 hours, then back to normal but just a bit more subdued. We brought her favourite cuddly toy and she loved having that. We also got her a new toy which she wasn’t fussed about at al.

The next day she was perfectly fine. We did notice her eczema getting worse, presumably from very mild dehydration, but she does have sensitive skin generally. In hindsight I’d have been a bit hotter on the moisturising creams to make her more comfortable.

Think about what you’ll do in the short time she’s under. DH and I weren’t prepared for that wait at all and the nurse eventually sent us out to get some air, which was very wise.

Thank you, @BlackSabbath, and thank you so much, @MumblesAndMutters - reading your post is hugely reassuring, and really useful too as DD has eczema so I'll make sure to keep her skin moisturised. I wouldn't have thought of that. Also what to do while she's under - which probably won't be long but feel like eternity - I'll be by myself as DH isn't allowed in, so I'll download something to watch on my iPad with earphones.

Thanks again x

This happened to DD when she was a baby. Her two front teeth were sawn off a couple of mm from her gum. They went black too from bruising (and then went back to natural tooth colour). It took her ages to loose them and I was so worried they'd be no teeth to come through underneath but there were ... she's now got two big goofy teeth like every other kid.

Broken is ok if there is still tooth in the gum!! Baby teeth ARE very important! They basically save the space for the other ones.

DD1 had a wobbly baby tooth after some play gone wrong and the dentist fixed it to the neighbours with "tooth plaster". After a couple of weeks the "plaster" just fell off and the tooth was secure again.

Actually!! If a baby tooth falls (before time) you're suppose to save it because the dentist can put it back!!!

All these poor babies with broken teeth!

I wish they could salvage the tooth, @grey12, but they say they can't. It's broken diagonally from top to bottom and the broken piece is hanging on but wobbly. They can't leave it, and just removing the piece would expose the nerve.

I feel so sick about it.

Ds banged his front tooth when he was 3. It went black after about 6 months and we used to call him black tooth the pirate. It went white again and lasted another 3 years before it needed to be removed (abcess developed due to trauma). He is 12 now and has lovely teeth. Try not to worry

One day this will be a story that you tell your DD and remember how awful you felt. Right now it’s horrid but it sounds like she’s going to be looked after brilliantly.

It probably won’t make you feel any better but my DS chipped his front tooth before it had even grown through properly. I thought it was growing through at an angle rather than “straight” and only once it was fully through did I realise it was actually chipped. He fell over a lot with a dummy in and I guess it was one of those times...

@grey12 that's not true. There is very little chance of a dentist being able to put a baby tooth back in. Please dont make the OP feel worse than she does. Accidents happen.

Oh, you will feel very sad, it is really upsetting.

She will be OK though and far better to damage baby teeth than adult teeth as the damage is repaired by the adult teeth coming through.

Hope the treatment goes smoothly.

Although her tooth is broken, is all of her tooth at the gum line still there, even if it's wobbly?

My nephew had an accident causing one of his front adult teeth to be literally hanging on by a thread. The dentist somehow put it back in the socket. He had to be very careful with brushing and eating, but it did reattach.

Maybe baby teeth are different?

Oh OP I know exactly what you’re going through, when my eldest DS was around the same age he fell over chipped both of the his front teeth. I remember crying for days on end. I took him to the dentist who gave him a good check over and assured me he wouldn’t loose his front teeth and it looked at lot worse than it actually was. He said children’s gums are relatively soft so when the pressure to the tooth happened although it did chip it made his tooth rid up into his gum a little more making the chip look larger than it actually was. There was no nerve damage and his front teeth are fine. He’s now five, and I won’t lie I still get sad at times looking at his teeth but he is absolutely fine. He has never suffered from sensitive teeth or any other problems.

I hope this helps somehow.

Thank you for your messages, everyone. DD is just out of theatre and in recovery; I'm waiting to be told I can see her. It went to plan, full tooth extraction (the break was too close to the nerve to save the tooth). I just want to see her wee face!

Sounds like she'll have complications with her adult teeth coming in - but we'll deal with those as they arise.

Such consequences for a little slip!

Glad to hear it, OP! Well done getting through it. Big day for you all, hope you’re on your way home soon and the little one isn’t too uncomfortable. They really do bounce back, I promise. Perhaps a glass of something for you tonight. She’s got a lovely mum so, wherever else is in store with those teeth, she’s in great hands.

For later on, this is a good source of children’s books “by issue”, eg going to the doctor or staying in hospital or whatever. Thought I’d post in case it’s ever useful. We use it a lot ourselves.

www.littleparachutes.com/

Aww thank you @MumblesAndMutters - and yes, I think I will be having a wee glass of wine this evening, my nerves are shot

The Little Parachute books look excellent - thank you so much for posting that link. I can see several that I think could be useful in the near future.