9 Month Old Chipped His Tooth

My son chipped his front tooth at just under a year old. He fell in the bath tub and he also split his lip open. I had to take him to the dentist because of the tooth being sharp. My ped. recommended that I go to Dr. Alan Klein he is a pediatric dentist. Everyone in there was very nice. He said that the adult tooth was just starting to develope so he probably did not do any damage to it but they will keep an eye on it just incase.
Dr. Klein's # is
(810) 694 - 2770

S.,
I am a registered dental hygienist and also have a busy little boy! My son also chipped one of his teeth early on and I still can't figure out how it happened. I can tell you that we see this a lot in our office with kids of all ages and we tell the parents to watch the color of the tooth. If it turns gray you should get referred to a pedodontist-- based on his age-because this means the nerve has died. If the gum looks healthy and your son is not uncomfortable then hopefully nothing will come of it. If it is a large chip that looks like the nerve is exposed make an appointment. It would not hurt to have a dentist look at it if it makes you feel better. Please know that we see this a lot and you should not feel bad -it happens to the best of us:) Please let me know if you have any questions and good luck!
K.

I would take him to the dentist too. Like the tohers said. Maybe they won't want to do anything, but maybe they might want to fill it or something if the chip is bad enough that it got to the sensitive part of the tooth. It's really better to take him now, then to find out a few months from now that he has a cavity.

Hi, I'd have it checked out by the dentist or at least call and see what he/she thinks. Chances are there isn't anything that can be done for it at this point, and remember it's a baby tooth and will fall out so there really isn't any point in having it bonded or filled. That would just be tramatic for your son.
Just to make you feel better and so you see it could be worse, my nephew is now 3 1/2 and knocked out his top front tooth when he was about a year old. He also hit it on the ceramic tile floor. He has hit the other one so often that the dentist told my sister-in-law that he might have to pull it if he hits it again. So, things could be worse with your son. Babies fall and accidents happen with kids, I think that's why God gives us two sets :-)

S.,
The same thing happened to my daughter when she was about the same age! She was newly walking and fell in the bathroom on the tile floor and chipped her front tooth. I felt so guilty and so upset that she would have a chipped tooth for so many years! I asked a cosmetic dentist if I could do anything for her and he said no. They don't do anything with children's teeth when they are that young because it is only cosmetic and they would have to be strapped down in the chair, which is traumatic for kids that old. He said if the tooth became infected, they would pull it but otherwise, it would just have to stay the way it was. My daughter will be 2 years old next week and we hardly notice her chipped tooth anymore. It is still noticeable but it's just part of her character now. She still looks cute in all her pictures :) The good news is that it's not a permanent tooth. I hope it makes you feel a little better to know that you're not the only one who's dealt with this issue. I'm sure your son is still a handsome little man! :)

-B.

I work at a DDS in Ann Arbor and as long as he seems fine, it's okay. Like a previous responder you may want to make sure it doesn't have a sharp edge that might iritate his tongue, but other than that there isn't anything that a DDS would do. Even if it got pushed back into his gums a little it isn't something to worry about, it would eventually come back into place.

Hey S., I doubt any dentist will do anything for it. When my son was 2 I saw sometime on the front of my little boys front tooth and just took my finger to wipe it off and guess what...a chuck of tooth came with it. I was SO scared thinking I was doing a horrible job of brushing teeth, but took him to the denstist and there was nothing he could do since it's just a baby tooth. I was at least put to ease that it was nothing I did, it was just a weak spot in his enamel on that tooth. Maybe your little one has weak baby teeth too? Just a thought.

Yep my 10 month old, in the bathtub! Hardly bothered him at all! Bothers me a little to, but I think it gives him character. Maybe thats why we had baby teeth, because gravity works against you at that age!!! He'll be fine and it probably isn't as noticable to everyone else as it is to you!

when I was little I use to grind my teeth. My mom took me to the dentist and he said as long as I don't grind away the enamel on the tooth I would be fine (I had to get a mouth guard to wear at night). If the tooth is just chipped and you haven't broken the enamel away then the tooth should be okay. If the enamel is gone and the center of the tooth is showing it could cause decay. Going to the dentist isn't that bad if you take him to a pediatric dentist. They are so much better with little ones. I went to one and they were wonderful.

Hi S.,

My son did the same thing when he was about 2 years old. We took him to the dentist, they did x-rays and he was fine. The x-rays were tricky, since they don't want them in their mouth, but I was in the room with him and held the stick.

Good luck!

Hi S.,

My daughter did the same thing when she was about a year - on the cement by the pool. We took her to the dentist and they filed down the rough edge just so she wouldn't hurt her tongue or lips. Cosmetically, we were sad to see her new tooth so "imperfect" but we got used to it and since it was a baby tooth, we knew the next one would be O.K. I would at least call your dentist to see if they recommend anything. The filing was no big deal. Good luck

I have not had this happen. But if I were you I would still either call the dentist and ask them or take him in. I don't know if his tooth could be chipped enough to cause him to be sensitive to hot and cold. Which I know from personal experience that is not fun.

I would get it checked out. If he hit it hard enough to chip it, he might have caused other damage you can't see. I'm sure it will be fine, although my son is 2 and he has been to the Dentist 3 times already. I take him in with me and they polish whatever he has-check out how they are coming in, just to get him used to it and alleviate future fears.
C.