OT-DS's 2 front teeth were chipped last night

[toddlerhouse]

My DS (8) fell while at basketball practice last night and chipped half of each front tooth off in a diagonal. I have just had pit in my stomach all day. The dentist was able to rebuild them back today with some kind of epoxy and they look pretty good now, he just won't ever be able to bite an apple again.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Do these fillers come out?? Any information would be helpful.

 

[lisaross]

oh i'm sorry - i know when its your kid your heart brakes. I'm not sure of the answer, but call the dentist tomorrow and ask - Dentists can do such amazing things now that i'm sure he'll fix him up good!

I broke my tooth when i was about that age, but it must have been worse as i needed root canal.

lisa

 

[bumbershoot]

My mom did the same waaaaay back when, and she ate apples all the time!

 

[caa1277]

I broke my front tooth in half several years ago when i was like 8 or 9 in the mid 80's and I had to have half of my front tooth fixed. I've never had one problem with it! I even bite into apples! It's been there for at least 22-23 years.

My son, who is now 11, broke both of his two front teeth in half at a diagonal a couple of years ago and we got them fixed. Then he broke them again a couple of weeks later, and we got them fixed again. And guess what? He broke them again for the third time!!! Got them fixed again and have so far not had any more problems to date!

They get expensive, but I think for the most part they are strong. Just be careful of what he eats for several months.

 

[DentalGirl]

Your dentist most likely used a resin called composite (same thing that is used for white fillings). If your son takes good cake of his teeth (brushing reg., no dark liquids, not biting with front teeth) the repair can last many years. Composites are very durable these days. However you must remember that it is a resin and the repaired part of the teeth may discolor a little bit over time. Most people who chip their teeth at a young age elect to get veneers placed after they turn 18. The veneers are stronger and won't discolor because they are made from porcelain. I don't recommend getting them done before age 18 because the gum line changes during youth and if you have them done now by the time he is an adult the veneer margin will show and it will look ugly. I hope you son is feeling better today.

 

[marli]

Hi there,
When I was 10 years old I was running in the school playground and tripped over a chinese jump rope (I am dating myself)- I landed on my face on the cement and chipped off part of my adult front tooth. Now don't forget that this was 28 odd years ago, we did not even know to look for the original tooth peice, but my dentist (and now my children's dentist) filled it in with an epoxy and said at the time that it could last 5 years or it could last 10 - this was using the stuff they had available in those days- well it never yellowed and finally fell out about 17 years after he put it in- at which point we decided to file my overly large front teeth down a bit and presto, the entire problem disappeared! I don't know how far down your son cracked his teeth and I certainly would not recommend any filing down until he is an adult and all his teeth are all in, but just to let you know that even with the epoxy, no one was ever able to see where I had cracked my teeth- I learned from a young age never to bite into an apple with my front teeth(and to this day I still eat an apple with my side teeth). But don't worry- chances are very good that with today's technology your son won't have to be replacing these for many years, and he can still enjoy that apple a day, just remind him often to bite on the side for any foods that have a big crunch factor.
marli

 

[fan_of_small_world]

DS did the exact same thing two years ago. You'd never know that he had to have so much work done, they look completely natural and there were no restrictions on eating after the first day or so, IIRC.

Did the dentist actually tell you no apples forever, or are you just assuming that yourself? If he did say it, I'd be back in there in a heartbeat asking what the heck is going on. There are great repair materials that can be used...my DS is proof.

 

[rockyroad]

My daughter chipped the corner off one of her front teeth when she was about 8.
I took her to the dentist and he repaired it.
It was not expensive.

When she was in high school she was eating a caramel apple sucker.
http://www.oryans.com/carapsuc.html
She held the sucker in her mouth for a moment while she needed her hands free and the thing stuck to the repair and pulled it off.

We went the next day and got it repaired.

She's 22 now, so the repairs have held up well and she has beautiful teeth!

 

[walkena]

When my son was little I had him sitting on my lap while I was drinking a cup of coffee. He bumped the cup into my front tooth and I managed to chip one of my front teeth . My dentist gave me a composite filling to fill the chip in my tooth - it took him 5 minutes and you cannot even tell that I have a chip in the tooth (I think that if the chip had been larger I would have needed a crown - which would have been a more significant dental issue). The dentist told me that the composite filling should last a couple of years at least (that it may fall out or wear down after a few years (he said that he could replace the composite in 5 minutes flat). I eat apples all the time - no change to what I can and cannot eat.

 

[MarthaJr.]

My daughter chipped half of both of her top two front teeth off when she was about 10 years old. To make a long story short she needed a root canal and then the dentist filled with some kind of resin or epoxy. This lasted through 2 years of braces and through most of her freshman year in college when one day she took a bite of pizza and lost one of the fillings. She had it replaced right away. Our dentist suggested she not get veneers until after she was 21 as her mouth is still changing. She is 20 now.
FYI-she sometimes experiences some sensitivity and is always cautious to cut up hard fruits and vegetables and chew on the side of her mouth.

Good Luck!

 

[MeggerasMa]

Oh, I feel for you! My DD, at the tender age of 8, slipped on ice in our backyard and broke a front tooth off at the gum line. I know that I cried as much as she did. We couldn't find the piece of tooth (not in all that snow) and I remember the dentist showing us the nerve just dangling. To this day it makes me sick. Anyway, that wonderful pediatric dentist rebuilt a tooth and warned her that eating apples, biting into anything that would be hard/sticky was now a no-no with her front teeth. She was super about it and to this day cuts apples up and cuts the corn off of corn on the cob. She also trained herself to bite "on the side" rather than put pressure on that front tooth. Knock wood, that fake tooth is still there (15 years later). I know she worries about losing or breaking it and at times it is sensitive, but at least there is a tooth in her mouth. Thank heaven for brilliant dentists!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

DD15 did the same thing during a basketball tournament 3 days before Christmas. That was 6 years ago. She eats an Apple a day everyday since then. Just a side note. Her tooth was not fully developed when she broke the bottom half off. It grew some so her one tooth is a bit lower. She will get it fixed after braces.

 

[Luckymomoftwo]

I'm sorry to hear about your son's fall at basketball and that he chipped his teeth. I hope he's ok and not afraid to get back out on the court.

My DH had an accident at work about 12 years ago and had similar repairs done to his teeth. It has come off of his tooth a couple times. It doesn't hurt when it does fall off, he doesn't even actually know that it has fallen off until he feels it with his tongue. The one time, he actually swallowed it with his food...he was eating a taco.

 

[toddlerhouse]

Thanks for all the response. Sometimes it is nice to know that other's have been there too. So the dentist didn't say he couldn't eat an apple, just could never bite one with his front teeth- or bagels or pizza or even bacon (hadn't thought about corn on the cob). He could have all those things just with his side teeth. It's just so hard to think about b/c he is 8 and now will have to deal with this for the rest of his life but I am trying to keep it all in perspective- he is ok and it is just teeth. He told the dentist he didn't use those teeth anyway because they were cold sensitive- news to me!!

As far as his teeth, he was lucky in that it didn't get to the nerve. I asked about veneers when he is older but the dentist said he broke some much there wouldn't be anything to attach the veneers to and that after he is 21 when his mouth stops changing he could get a crown if this epoxy just kept coming off which he said may or may not happen.

I still have a knot in my stomach- I guess with time it will go away. We fly out Friday for 7 days on the Disney Magic- so a now much needed vacation.

 

[cats mom]

I still have a knot in my stomach- I guess with time it will go away. We fly out Friday for 7 days on the Disney Magic- so a now much needed vacation.

I absolutely understand!

My DS took a baseball to the mouth a couple of years ago. His resulted in a fair amount of oral surgery and root canals on both top front teeth.

It was heartbreaking to look at that poor, swollen up face and I swear I walked around with that same knot in my stomach for longer than I want to admit.

2 years later and about the only time I think about it is when someone decides to recount the story.
For some reason guys tend to wear incidents like these as a badge of courage or something.


What a great way to get your mind off it though.
Hugs to you and your DS... I'm sure you'll have a Magical cruise!

 

[DisneyMomJen]

Yes, my DS had his 3 front teeth broken when he was 8 from a bowling ball accident. He is 13 now. He has 'temporary' caps which were built up out of a composite type material. He has had one root canal so far. He breaks the same teeth at least once a year. He is very active in sports, so that is usually when they break and basketball was the worst! I am so glad that he decided not to play the last 2 years! I strongly recommend that your DS wear a mouthguard no matter what sport your son plays. My son hates wearing them, but I think has come to the realiziation that he has to if he doesn't want his teeth to break again. These temporary caps do discolor, but can usually be buffed to their original color (or at least closer). He was also told that he can not bite into an apple, corn on the cob, a hard roll sub, etc.
This has been a very long process for us since we have been going through litigation with the bowling alley. Over the past 4 1/2 years, we have paid over $4000 out of pocket that our dental insurance did not cover and $5000 to a bowling expert (there is only one in the country). We just settled last Friday and my DS will walk away with $9000 which I feel is nothing considering the amount of money he will have to pay for his teeth over the years. He will most likely need implants and each one costs $5000. I think I could accept this accident a whole lot more if it was something that he did to himself, but this could have easily been prevented if the bowling alley provided the 'correct' environment.
I am so sorry that this happened to your son. My best advice right now is to remember Mouthguards and hopefully he will not break his temporary teeth.

 

[fan_of_small_world]

If I were you I'd go right back to the dentist and see if he can do something different. I just can't believe that he didn't use something that would allow your son to eat normally.

As I said, whatever our dentist used (and he's no longer practicing, or I'd call him and find out for you) was great and there are NO limitations on eating. He can and does bite into, with his front teeth, apples, corn on the cob, everything.

I'd take this further if I were you. Don't settle.

 

[MoniqueU]

I dropped a laptop on my face and chipped my tooth off, had it repaired and no problems eating anything. I hate the dentist and it was a simple thing to get fixed and I wouldnt be scared about doing it again.

When my daughter was in K over memorial day weekend and was on a razor scooter. She went down a driveway hit a rock and her bottom jaw hit into the handle bars and popped out 6 teeth 2 permanent ones and broke her mandible jaw. We had to take her to a dental training hospital and they were able to replant one permanent tooth but not the other. They woked on her for hours. Now almost 6 years later she still is missing a tooth and until she is 18 they cant do an implant of a new tooth. They may have her braces bring her teeth into alighment without the missing tooth it will just eepend.
So to me a chipped tooth isn't that big of a deal after dealing with this for years.

 

[mickeyfan2]

My DS (8) fell while at basketball practice last night and chipped half of each front tooth off in a diagonal. I have just had pit in my stomach all day. The dentist was able to rebuild them back today with some kind of epoxy and they look pretty good now, he just won't ever be able to bite an apple again.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Do these fillers come out?? Any information would be helpful.

I am 46 and I broke my front tooth down to the root when I was 15. I happened to be lucky and a dentist in my hometown toured the US with his new tooth bonding program. He did my tooth and it looked great. A year later my sister's head hit me on the tooth and out it came. He fixed it and I had that tooth until my 20s. At that time I had it redone, since it was starting to show (as one ages their teeth change color but the bonding does not). I had it done one more time about 5 years ago and this time I had them put posts in. I was always able to bite into and apple etc. No restrictions.

So only one fell out in 31 years and I chose to get it redone twice, due to the color.

Really nothing to worry about.

 

[bumbershoot]

So the dentist didn't say he couldn't eat an apple, just could never bite one with his front teeth- or bagels or pizza or even bacon (hadn't thought about corn on the cob). He could have all those things just with his side teeth

I still have a knot in my stomach- I guess with time it will go away.

Oh good gravy, I'm an idiot. My mom never had them repaired, she just had diagonal front teeth (she hated it but I can't imagine her teeth any other way). How could I forget that? She's probably smacking me from the ether right now.


Knot in stomach for teeth reasons...I do know that. DS started teething at 4 months, and just after he was 6 months old we went out to dinner. Crowded restaurant after a long wait, we decided to set him in a highchair for the first time. I had just noticed he was getting tired, and DH and I said to each other "let's take him out, he's not used to this and getting tired" or soemthing like that. Just then, the food came, and we figured it was safer to leave him there while the hot plates were being set down. Well, of course we were distracted, and bammo, DS head went forward and his mouth smashed into the table. Knocked out one of his brand new lower middle teeth.

Then either that damage or his genetics from dad's side kicked in, and his upper 2 just-side-of-middle teeth grew in beige, then turned yellow then brown, then started to disintegrate. Thus began our long quest for an intelligent and safety-minded dentist (they are few and far between!). The two upper middle teeth are really prone to decay, and he has 2 fillings in those teeth already (at under 4). And a couple weeks ago one of those fillings fell out and he got to have it repaired.


The knot in the stomach will fade, but FYI later you'll look at pictures and get it again. Though it might be especially knotty with me b/c he was so little and couldn't understand or communicate, whereas your guy can. Or maybe the knot is the same no matter what.