Any dentists or anyone go through child w/sports/tooth injury?

Minnie824

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 7, 2000
DD is away at camp and got injured today....someones head knocked into her face/tooth/lip. Lip was gushing blood and they glued that but shes worried about her tooth. She said it doesn't feel loose with her tongue but it looks like one of her front top teeth is slightly lower. I already called the orthodontist and i'm bringing her in once she is home in 2 days but has anyone gone through this? any suggestions on what to do? best/worst possible outcome. Shes afraid to wear her retainer that it would pull her whole tooth out even though she doesn't think its loose. Ortho actually said to leave it out til she sees him anyway. Advice?
 
One time my son jumped off a jungle gym and his front tooth knocked against another kids head. He bled a bit and he felt the tooth was a little loose. I freaked and called our dentist. The dentist said it is normal for the tooth to bleed a bit since it separated a bit from the gum. He said sometimes it gushes, but it sounds like it was your dd's lip that was gushing, not the tooth/gum. The dentist told me to have him avoid using the front tooth. He said to cut everything up and have him use a fork and eat with the back/side teeth, even soft things like a banana. Cut it up and eat with a fork, no biting into ANYTHING. We even cut up sandwiches and he ate with a fork LOL. Basically he said not use those teeth for a while. We went in about a month later for his routine cleaning and all was good, I don't think there is anything to do unless it is really loose, then I think he said something about wearing a splint on the tooth while it heals up if it had been really bad, but I don't remember exactly. That was our experience anyway, not sure about the retainer, but I would do what the ortho said and leave it out.
 
Like a pp, DS had a bad bump from someone else's head into his front tooth on the schoolyard once. I took him to the dentist as it seemed loose. Basically he said to leave it alone and it would heal in a week or two, and it did. I think the injury, like anniemae said, causes a little separation from the gum, which makes it loose, but the idea is that over time, it will tighten up again. Of course, it's a good idea to get her seen by a dentist, but you're doing that and I know you just want to hear good stories to make you feel better. Hope these help.
 
I got hit in the face with a softball when I was 16 and messed up my front teeth. One was not hanging on by much and the other wiggled a bit. I ended up needing a root canal and sealant to hold the first tooth in place and was told to come back in a couple of days to check on it. Being an impulsive teen that didn't think through decisions well, I went rollerblading 2 days later and broke the sealant, knocking it loose again. The dentist was able to reseal it, and glued a piece of wire across my 4 front teeth to keep it in place and ensure that the tissues healed up with my teeth positioned correctly. I had that in for a month and given at least a 30 minute lecture while he was installing it on ALL of the things I was not allowed to do since he didn't trust me not to mess it up again (No baseball, rollerblading, running, trampoline, wrestling, bike riding, etc). I was also told to cut my food up and not to chew anything with the front teeth, be careful blowing my nose as it could pull something loose, only drink through a straw as a glass or ice hitting the teeth could knock them loose, no gum, no flossing those teeth, to brush softly, and to use mouthwash every time I ate since I couldn't brush/floss as thoroughly. When the month was up, everything had healed well and the wire came off, which I was thrilled about since it looked dumb and the ends aggravated the inside of my mouth.

My injury was due to being hit directly in the mouth with a softball at probably 60 or 70 mph though and the one tooth was seriously only hanging on by a few threads which is why mine required as much work as it did. I also never had routine dental care growing up and always had low calcium, so have weaker teeth which probably contributed to the seriousness of my injury.

Given that your DD doesn't seem to feel that it's loose, I don't imagine hers would be anything too serious. Can you see/ can she feel the teeth chipped anywhere? Does she have any pain coming from the actual teeth? I definitely wouldn't have her wear the retainer until she's seen. If there is a tooth that's slightly out of position, messing with it could make it worse. I would just make sure she doesn't do anything that could cause her teeth to be bumped into, don't bite or chew with the front teeth, use a straw, and no gum.
 


DD1 (9 years old) was playing at a friends house & somehow broke her tooth a year ago. Big jagged break across the front. Dentist was able to repair it, but we did end up with a root canal due to infection this past spring.

Assuming no visible damage to the tooth, I'd assume that it's lower due to swelling of the gum around it, that may or may not fix itself. Especially that it doesn't feel loose to the touch, I'd say it has a good chance of healing itself. (DD1, right before the root canal, had the lowered tooth, but VERY loose to the touch.) I'd tell her to eat softer foods until she can make it into the ortho/dentist.
 
My front tooth broke in half after a meeting between my face and a pool bottom when I was 12, so half of my front tooth to this day remains fake. Last month I actually had to get a root canal on the tooth next to it. X-rays revealed that tooth had been dead for a while and I just hadn’t noticed. Based on the location, they are guessing it started with that childhood trauma.
 
My friend knocked out her front tooth sledding. She had it root canaled and cemented back in. Her tooth was slightLy discolored after that.
 


Sorry this happened to your daughter. Is she able to close properly and eat? That’s first and foremost, if not she needs to see a dentist ASAP. Otherwise, leave retainer out till she is checked out, it may apply pressure to the tooth if the tooth has truly moved. The Dentist should take an X-ray of the tooth to check the nerve. There is always a chance that she may need a root canal at some point but they are relatively easy, not like in the past. Hopefully everything will be fine. Accidents happen to kids teeth all the time. You can’t keep them in a bubble even though we all may want to just to keep them safe. Good luck to your daughter.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top