We were at a friends house yesterday and my 2 yo son was running, slipped and fell face first into the corner of the coffee table. Thank goodness the corner was rounded! Anyways, I thought he was okay and just cut his lip a little bit, but when I started inspecting his mouth I noticed his teeth were crooked and pushed inward a little bit. His gums around his teeth were bleeding and bloody and he was hysterical for awhile until I put some orajel on his gums. This seemed to help. This morning when he woke up his lip is swollen and his gums are purple!! I called the Dr. and she said there's not much to do and just wait until tomorrow to take him to the dentist. I just feel so awful! I'm so afraid that he is going to lose his teeth. They aren't loose, but since he hit them so hard they may die and fall out. Has anyone had this happen to your child? I'd love to hear your stories.
Update 7/14/08 12:00 pm: We took him to the dentist which he was not happy about AT ALL. He wouldn't let them even look at him, so they just told us there's not much to do. If the teeth are dead, they will leave them in unless an abcess forms. They did get to check if they are loose and they are not. They told me I could try to push them out a little bit everyday to try to reposition them. We will go back in 6 months. Thank you all for the responses and stories! It makes me feel a little bit better. I still can't help but feel guilty for what happened, and I'm honestly feeling a little vain for him. Oh well, boys will be boys and I'm sure this isn't gonna be his last accident. Thank you all!!!
Update 7/15/08 8:30 am: My husband didn't feel very comfortable with the last dentist we saw, so we are taking him to a pediatric dental specialist. It's the dentist office I went to when I was growing up so I trust them. I really would feel more comfortable if they were able to take x-rays just so we can see what's going on inside. My heart breaks every time I look at him. You can't see his teeth unless he smiles. I know it's minor, but it still gets to me.
My son hit hit front baby teeth when he was small. they were loose and the gums were bruised. One tooth even took on a purplish brown hue from the blood that was inside the pulp of the tooth. But little by little, his body repaired the tissue, The loosness whent away, and the tooth color was eventually restored. The human body is an amazing thing!
Last December, my daughter (then 5 yrs old) also ran into the back of a chair and pushed one of her front teeth painfully inward. There was bleeding, swelling, and bruising just like you described and my husband gently pulled back the tooth into alignment. We talked to a friend who is a dentist who told us to watch the tooth for discoloration. Well, when the tooth did start to darken, I brought my daughter into our dentist who looked at it and said that since it was a baby tooth, we would just have to wait to see if it fell out and there really wasn't much we could do. After about a month though, the tooth turned back white! It was so weird! It never fell out and now, she occasionally complains of sensitivity but other than that it looks really good. Hopefully, you will have the same result! Good luck!
Hi S. - my son fell face first and hit his teeth against our stone tile flooring last October. We took him to urgent care because his teeth had also been pushed back and then to the dentist the next day and they told me the same thing - his teeth may die from the impact. His teeth weren't loose either but you could tell that they had been pushed back after taking x-rays. I'm happy to report that after all that bleeding, bruising and swelling his teeth nver died and are just fine - even though they did turn a shade darker. I know how stressful this situation can be - please try not to worry too much your son's teeth will probably be just fine.
I'm sure your son will be fine, but my bestfriend's son had a similar injury and an abcess resulted. The doctor told them he was glad they followed through with taking him to the doctor b/c if unattended, it could have been very serious as the abcess was so large and close to the brain. If you can get to the doctor today, you might want to err on the side of caution and do so.
Hi Stacy,
A similiar accident happened to my daughter when she was about 18 mos old (now 9 yo) and she actually shoved 2 teeth back up in the gum and one tooth flipped out. Needless to say, our dentist is also our friend so I panicked and tracked him down and he was very comforting but still did not want to see Jessica for several days, this was so that her swelling and soreness could go away. He was concerned with her having a bad experience with him. She is now okay. It took forever for those 2 teeth to come back down, but they did and they were in the wrong position, but that also turned out okay, as she has beautiful teeth today. I wish you the best and tell you to listen to your dentist, make sure if there is still some swelling that the dentist knows this as he/she may want to make sure that your son's experience is a good one too. Each dentist is different, but your will probably want to make the visit as fun as possible. I wish you the best of luck and tell you to hang in there.
Nicole P is right. Though "they will just fall out anyway" is not a reason to let it go (alot of moms do that). Some of your baby teeth you keep until you are 12, that is a long time. It is well worth having him checked out. Give him cool and soft things to eat the next few days....and lots of cuddles.
See a pediatric dentist ASAP for accurate advice, treatment and follow up!
My 18 mos son fell and hit his face on the kitchen tiled floor several months ago and his teeth was bleeding also. I was so afraid of him losing his teeth. I took him to the dentist the next day for x-rays, forcefully after an hour of coaxing him to open his mouth. The dr. wanted to see if the tooth was cracked or traumatized. Thankfully it wasn't. She said to check his teeth for "gray" or dark shadows in the next 2 weeks to see if the tooth was traumatized. Thankfully it was fine. I totally understand the awful feeling you have... just take him to the dentist tomorrow for xrays. Good luck!
Dear S.,
Next time this happens try your best to move the teeth or tooth into the proper position. And then make them drink a cup of milk. This also happened to my son when he was about 4 years of age. But he also sliced open his lip and needed stiches, anyway I moved his teeth back into place and a gave him the milk to drink then went off to the hospital. He needed 5 stiches, and the Doctor at the ER told me I had done the right thing with the milk and moving the teeth. My son is now 25 yoa and nothing ever happened to the teeth. I know just how you are feeling, and I hope this helps. Mother of three wonderful and full grown children one grandchild and 25 years in the Medical field. Teacher RMA EMT
Dear S.,
Definitely take your little boy to the dentist.
It's very possible he could develop an absess and/or lose his teeth.
These things happen. I have a burl coffee table that my Grandfather made when I was just a baby. Every kid in the family, not to mention friends and neighbors, have bonked some part of their body from the neck up on the darn thing.
I'm sure your little guy will be okay. Even if he loses his teeth, he'll get more.
Let us know how he does!
At the same age my daughter was playing with the turnstile at the store. She spun it fast and it whacked her in the mouth. I took her to the dentist so he could xray them so we would at leasdt know what might happen. She never lost her teeth until it was time for them to fall out. No damage but take him to the dentist to be sure.
My son also hit the table with his mouth when he was close to 2 yrs old. The hit shoved his gums up, revealing more of one front tooth, and severed the frenulum (piece of tissue connecting the upper lip to the gum). I called the pediatrician, and I took him to the dentist. His mouth healed fine, no tooth damage, and the frenulum reattached.
Take your son to the Dentist. Also, here is a helpful site from the Lucile Packard Foundation regarding Mouth Injuries: http://www.lpch.org/healthLibrary/ParentCareTopics/MouthT...
Mom of 4 wonderful gifts: girl, boy, boy and expecting #4 10/1/08
Hi S.,
The same thing happened to my 3 yo son. I am a GM now, and this happened 40 years ago. The dentist x-rayed and said the baby teeth broke in the gum area so he removed the teeth. I wouldn't have known that the teeth were broke by just looking at them. My son had some permanent white spot that the dentist said was from the injury, but other than that I was glad that I had the x-rays because it would have caused a lot of problems with the permanent teeth coming in.
I also have another son just one year older, he was 4 yo at the time. Get used to these things dear, as a GM now, I love to tell their children stories of the things that they did. What one didn't think of, usually the other one did....lol
Grand Mom, D.
Hi -
When my son was 2 years old (he is now almost 30) he climbed up to tried to get something and fell and knocked out his baby eye tooth that wasn't even in yet. I took him to the dentist and thee was not much they could do for him. He did wind up having some orthodontia work when he got much older because his adult eye tooth didn't come in properly, but he has great teeth now.
Your son has his teeth still so I don't think I would worry too much, but still take him to the dentist to ease your mind. He will be OK.
R.
First of all, it is a baby tooth so don't panic. I am sure it was scary at the time and it sounds like it looked just awful.
Take pictures and it will be a story to tell when he gets older. My son knocked a front baby tooth out on the edge of a swimming pool at about 4 1/2 years old and I was upset at the beginning also. Let it go - you will many more real traumas to be concerned about over the years.
God bless.
+B+
This happened to my son when he was 3 yrs old. He was running on Gramma's hardwood floor, slipped and fell face first. I thought the same thing-that he just cut his mouth. The next day I noticed that his front teeth were pushed up, a little loose, and one was bent back slightly, and I panicked. I, too, felt so bad! To make a long story short...the dentist said that they probably wouldn't move back & if they did die, they would sart to turn color within 6 months. I heard all these horror stories from misc. people and could not imagine my Niki toothless for three or more years! The good news is: they didn't die, and my son at the time chewed on his fingers alot, and I guess that helped straighten out his teeth, too! He is now 4 1/2, and has a perfect smile!
Yup, the first place I'd be today, is the dentist!
My youngest fell while standing on the toilet seat at 18 mos. She hit the tub & chipped about 2/3 of her tooth (molar). She was going to have that tooth for awhile before the adult tooth arrived, so I had it crowned. My husband's family thought I was crazy, but it was the right thing to do.
My oldest daughter fell & hit her mouth after she slid down a pole at the playground. Her front tooth changed color, but never fell out. We checked every 6mos for its condition after xrays were taken. Her permanent teeth came in perfect. Good Luck.
YES, my middle child did this. She was 4 when it happened. She fell on a ladder at gymnastics class. her teeth were bleeding as well. I didn't think much of it, except for that she was bleeding and upset, so we left the gym and went home. I let her rest (sometimes she would over react to getting hurt) I was able to give a bag of ice. I had to go to a baby shower. When I came back, she wouldn't close her mouth, and the bag of water (started as ice) was still in her mouth, she wouldn't remove it. My husband said that she fell esleep she would wake right up when she would close her mouth. So we went to the ER. By that time she was more reasonable. They gave her kiddy vicodin and would not do an xray because it wouldn't get the right picture anyway, and we would have to make an appointment with our dentist. Her teeth were loose as well, but they said to feed her soft foods. We took her to the dentist that monday and the took an xray and determinded though her baby teeth were damaged and already starting to turn grey, that her upper jaw was not broken and her adult teeth were fine. The dentist suggested we keep an eye on the teeth and gums and if they started to swell and blister it means there was an infection caused by the dead teeth and that they would be removed.
She still has her teeth and they are still discolored but they are solid, no movement and she is fine a year later...
Super scary. Especially will someone so young!
Hi S., I understand how you are feeling 100%. The SAME EXACT thing happened to my older son when he was about 2yrs old. His gums and the part of the tooth nearest the gums also turned purple and I would have bet any amount of money that they were going to fall out (his were actually loose!!) They DID NOT fall out, it took a few weeks for them to get strong again... but they did repair the damage on their own. It is true that the roots (depending on the amount of damage) may decide to resorb and the teeth may fall out, but it is possible for them to get better. Unfortunatly it is a waiting game. Good Luck!
Hi S.,
Something similar happened to my sister when she was young.
Please have your son taken to the Dentist to be looked at. Because everything is SOOOO bruised, I'm sure it looks terrible.
Your son's baby teeth will only fall out anyway, so you probably don't need to worry about those. But you need to know if the impact of the fall damaged his nerves for his Adult Teeth. You want to know if his adult teeth will be effected. A Dentist may/may not be able to answer this.
A Dentist can certainly tell you if his mouth is ok, though, and what to expect later.
Good Luck!
:o) N.
Hi, S.!
I was a dental assistant and I have seen kids in the office that had the same experience as your son. When you take him to the dentist, they might take some xrays to check if there's any damage on the root of the tooth. If any of the teeth broke at the root, the dentist might remove the tooth, otherwise the dentist will leave them alone. It may help to give him some baby tylenol for the pain (or call the pediatrician for any advice on pain meds).
Hi Stacie,
My daughter fell and hit the side of the bathtub with her mouth. There was a little bit of bleeding and swollen afterward. I brought her to the Pediatric Dentist a week later. The dentist told me that it's not advisiable to take an x-ray since my daughter was only 1.5 year old. The best thing is to watch the growth of the tooth. If it turns gray -- more than likely, your son will loose the tooth since the nerves were damaged. Howver, if it looks pink -- even red, it's ok.
For my daughter, she broke part of the front tooth; but, she didn't loose it. I brought her back to the dentist for additional check up and was told that the tooth is fine -- only cosmetic issue.
I hope your son will recover soon and not loose his tooth.
P.
My son jumped on his "Big Boy Bed" after reading Skippyjon Jones and tore his gums and the ligament that connects his upper lip to his gums. Of course it was 11pm so we rinsed it iced it and put oragel & called Kaiser - they told us to watch for evidence of a concussion and to wake him every 2 hours. The next morning I called our dentist and she saw him that day because of his age etc. She took X-rays and gave us a more potent gel to put on it and we took him back for a follow-up 2 weeks later.
SO, don't listen to your Dr. call a dentist ASAP & get him checked today. It sounds worse than my son & he may need intervention to save his teeth and prevent the adult teeth from growing in crooked or worse.
Stop reading & go NOW!!!!!!!!!
