My son fell yesterday and bit threw his bottom lip pretty bad and it looks like his top gums are bruised and discolored. I have made a appointment to see the dentist after Thanksgiving just to make sure everything is okay. His teeth are fine, nothing has chipped, but I am just concerned if I should treat his gums in any way to prevent infection or further damage. I am sure it will heal just fine, but if you can suggest anything that may help, please let me know!
I would have found a doctor that could see him sooner than that. Remember, the doctor should be working for you.
If you could get him to swish and spit some warm saltwater, it would help the laceration on the inside of his lip. Just a half-teaspoon of salt dissolved in a cup of warm water would help--
Ice or a popsicle will also help the bruising and tenderness.
The really good thing about intraoral problems is that they heal very quickly... I could be much more concerned about the intraoral laceration than the bruised gums. It's very hard to keep clean but now it's already too late for stitches, if they were necessary. I would watch that for signs of infection.
My daughter did that once. Bit through her top lip so bad that she needed a stitch or two to close it up. Gums were bruised pretty bad. Dentist took an x-ray to make sure everything was ok. One of her front teeth were even loose. But once the gums healed up it "tightened" that tooth back up. We just made sure she didn't "play" w/ that tooth to loosen it more. Just made her do a salt water rinse to help clean it out and prevent any infection. Maybe a mouth rinse for kids would do good so it doesn't taste so nasty.
she healed up nicely and everything was fine. My daughter was like 5 or 6 when this happened...so a little older than your son. "rinsing" might be a challenge.
Good luck!
Hi R.,
Another mom already said it, but a warm salt water rinse is really good to prevent infection. Just make sure he is able to swish it around without swallowing it because it will make him sick if swallowed. Poor little guy! I hope it's not bothering him too much.
My daughter did the exact same thing and I rushed her to the ER, to find out there is nothing that can or should be done, but to let it heal on its own. I also took her to her peds doctor the following morning and he also said the same thing because it was not infected. If it becomes infected, they may or may not be able to provide meds. I would not treat his gums at all and just wait on what the dentist has to say.
