Broken Tooth

Well what it sounds like is the baby tooth fell out and you can see the top of the new permanent tooth coming through. Remember baby teeth are short and little so it could look like only half of his tooth when really it was the whole baby tooth. Because teeth are somewhat hallow on the inside for the roots if it broke clear in half you would be able to see inside the part that's still in his mouth and it would probably be causing a lot of pain for him to have it exposed like that. Look again and see if it just looks like maybe the top of a permanent tooth.

Is he in pain? He could have a nerve exposed that really, really hurts. If so he definitely needs to go to the dentist.
It seems it might be best to have it extracted, but his other tooth may push it out if the x-rays show it's ready for that.
I know it's a pain, but I would get him checked. Extractions aren't all that expensive if you can find a clinic that charges on a sliding scale. He's 12. I wouldn't spend a ton of money on something he will lose anyway.
Consult a dentist.

Best wishes.

Is he is a lot of pain from the broken tooth? If so I'd call the dentisit's # and see if there is an on call person to talk to. Otherwise, avoid hot/cold - motrin or tylenol for manageable pain. I don't think it will be a huge issue overnight. I would think they could cap it, if it is a " baby tooth". If you are worried about infection, make sure he brushes with warm water and maybe baking soda. Hope this helps!

Frequently teeth can come out in pieces. If he's not in pain, see if he can wiggle it any. The dentist might have to give it a little help. He or she can numb it up and use a
special instrument to pop it loose. Don't worry too much!

I'm a dental hygienist. I can't say for sure, without looking at the situation, but it sounds like maybe the post from Andrea G. is correct. When baby molars are getting ready to come out, the body resorbs the roots, so that by the time the tooth actually falls out, it only looks like half a tooth--the crown part--and the part that was attached to the gums may look "broken," allowing you to see inside the crown. That's normal. You should look inside your son's mouth and see if what part that's there looks like the top of a new tooth, or if you can actually see any root fragments left behind (it could be difficult to tell, though). Sometimes pieces of root don't entirely resorb and will break off. If that happens, your dentist should easily be able to remove it. Also, if your son is in pain, you should definitely call your dentist. Otherwise, it really sounds pretty normal.

I grind my teeth and have had the top of a couple of my molars break off close to the gum. The dentist said that as long as I felt no pain, this wasn't a problem. I am starting to feel some pain now and will go back to have them checked.