Heartbroken over 15 Month Old Daughter's Chipped Front Tooth.

This is a baby tooth...you should not worry about this. To get perspective think of the syrian refugee kids who are being bombed, killed, and are not getting enough food. Her baby tooth will fall out and her permanent tooth will grow in sometime around age 5/6.

She is 15 months old, it is a tooth. A tooth that will fall out in time.

Most likely, people will not even notice unless you bring it up. Don't be so worried about her appearance, you don't want her growing up always worried about her appearance.

It could have been worse.... she could have cut her forehead open, broken a bone, etc.

Let it go.

Yeah... Not heartbreaking. My daughter fell and broke half of her permanent front tooth OFF completely... when she was in third grade. She won't get another shot at that permanent tooth.
She has a built up "filling" essentially... they rebuilt the missing portion. Dentist did a great job and I can't tell which one it is. I have to ask her (and she knows because of the way it was built on it is thicker where it is cemented or whatever onto the back of the remaining part). You can't tell by looking at all.

Of course, eventually, she'll end up needing to replace that (she's 15 now and so far no problems, and she has been in braces for almost 18 months now)... One day she'll need something else done to it. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

So, no, heartbreaking (in the realm of teeth issues) is breaking off a permanent one. Not a baby one.
Still upsetting, though. I totally get that.
Hugs.

My son chipped a front tooth on a bar at a playground at about the same age. Eventually it seemed to even out with his chewing and eventually fell out at the appropriate age. It was just a cute little quirk and battle scar that comes from being a kid.

i'm sorry this is bothering you so much. i have no idea WHY it does.
it's a baby tooth.
you'll look back on pictures of her with her charming askew grin and it will make you smile.
i can't imagine getting a toddler's baby tooth crowned.
it's really not a heartbreak situation. it's a heavy-sigh-and-move-on thing.
khairete
S.

I'm guessing that it bothers you to the extent that it does because it has brought a new reality to the front and center. And that is: once our kids get mobile, once they're away from our arms all wrapped up and securely carried and happy to be so, then they face injuries, dangers, and all the things we dread. Some are relatively small (a chipped baby tooth, or a little cut) and some are relatively big (briefly getting lost in a store but found within a few seconds, or breaking a bone that will heal completely without lasting effect) and some are huge (no need to go there - we all know what those can be).

But the truth is, a child who can walk and reach and grasp will inevitably do some damage, either to the lamp on the table or to his or her own little skin and precious face. A child who can make sounds and learn language and speak will progress from those sweet little coos to "NO!!!" and "you're the worst mother in the world and I hate you" when the teen years hit. A child who can think and act independently will have the brilliant idea to craft a clever lie about who stole the cookies ("really, mama, it was kitty!") or to try to break a rule.

That's real life, with a mobile, verbal child. And it's scary. It doesn't end, no matter how old the child is. My boy is grown, and I wish, when he calls me to tell me he's landed at the airport in a different state for a challenging work assignment, that he was still all wrapped up in his little Moses basket, sucking on his fingers, happy to look at Daddy making funny faces at him.

But please try to see this as a blessing. Your child can walk, and she'll grow up. It will give you more joy and more pain to watch this process than you ever imagined possible. The little ouchies and owies and boo-boos, the chipped teeth, the scars, are reminders to us moms that we can't prevent everything. The best you can do is help your child to stay strong, to observe the sensible rules (holding mommy's hand in the parking lot, learning how to look both ways, etc), and to grow up to be a smart, sensitive, caring, kind girl.

Please try to put this in perspective. I'm not going to list all the terrible things that could have happened and I totally get not wanting your child to suffer in any way...but your child is healthy and a chipped tooth does not change that.

I just want to tell you not to be so hard on yourself for being upset over something that's purely cosmetic. That feeling is not uncommon. Just keep in mind that it could've been worse and try to see the brighter side.

This is a baby tooth, so it will fall out eventually anyway. Kids do stuff like this. By the time anyone notices, she'll be losing it, I'll bet. I can't imagine going to the expense of a crown. You might get another opinion just to see if bonding or some other temporary fix will work just as well.

A friend's child fell and knocked out an entire tooth. They just made do and pretended he was a pirate for a few years until it fell out and was replaced by a permanent tooth. Kids off all ages have all kinds of "holes" in their mouths from teeth in various stages of falling out and coming in.

I think, if we can get past appearances and what makes someone attractive, we can be much calmer about the bumps and bruises of childhood. You're still in the idealized version of childhood where every picture has to be perfect and every milestone is measured/noted in the baby book and with the camera. It calms down after a while and you'll be okay about it.

15 months? It's a baby tooth that is going to fall out anyway.
Heartbroken? What's the big deal? That she will have a less than perfect smile until her permanent teeth come in?
As long as it isn't causing her pain, I really don't see the problem. .

I do not think your daughter should be put through the ordeal of a crown. Embrace it. It's just a baby tooth. She will look adorable no matter what, at her young age.

My adult daughter has a big ole scar on her face from a car accident when she was young, and she's such a lovely spirit that you never notice it. Bodies get changed and scarred, it's life. No one goes through life unscathed: if nothing else manages to scar or alter a person's body, age will do it eventually.

On another note, I have a chipped front tooth, and the dentist was able to fill it with a regular white filling, and it's not at all noticeable. Is there no way the dentist can do a regular porcelain filling on the tooth?

One of mine fell when she was little and hit both front teeth and they turned grey. I was bummed but knew they'd fall out anyway. I wasn't heartbroken! And I think two grey teeth looks worse... I know someone who fell in college and chipped badly both front teeth. They were fixed. This is so not an issue. It'll kind of be cute. If you laugh at it, everyone else will too. If you act al self conscious and upset, people will wonder how vain you are.

My older has a permanent lump on his forehead from where he fell down the steps as an 18 month old (basically he got a goose egg at the time that calcified). He likes his hair really short so I see it every day. And it's permanent.

All I can say is that your child will lose that tooth and get a perfect permanent tooth in a few years. I'll be looking at the lump forever...

I hope that gives you some comfort/perspective. I know that we are so lucky that it was just a lump and not a concussion. So although I shake my head with a smile when I notice the lump, it doesn't upset me at all because I know how much worse it could have been.

My 10 year old fracture both of his front teeth a little over a year ago. It killed one of his teeth, and he had to have a root canal and that tooth will always be weaker than the other.

But ...

They were able to repair it, cosmetically. His teeth look just like they always did.

Take comfort in the fact that this is a baby tooth, and she will loose it in a few years.

I take comfort in the fact that my son fractured his teeth and not his arm or leg or head! He was playing basketball on the asphalt and did a faceplant. Very, very luck boy!!! And thankful Mama :-)

It probably is a reminder of her injury and the mom guilt takes over.. but, I would chalk it up to the fact that it is a temporary thing , and it will fall out and be replaced.. some things / accidents cannot be replaced. Consider yourself lucky and your daughter fortunate and move on.

Do not worry about it. I'm sure your daughter will not worry about her appearance . Neither should you. ❤

Because it's your baby, that's why. :-) You know she will be fine, mama. She's barely a toddler and this almost certainly won't be her last injury. My son was about 4 when he fell down the last 3 steps and landed on his face. He needed a root canal. I saved that baby tooth with if fell out. In the future, this will make a good story.

I understand that it feels like the chip will be glaringly visible to others and you forever. However, I don't think that's the case. First, you will get used to seeing the chip in no time at all. I'm willing to bet that after a couple weeks, you won't even notice it anymore. Second, I'm sure that most people aren't going to notice it at all, and even if they do, it won't influence how they feel about her. Finally, that tooth is going to fall out in five or six years and be replaced with her nice new adult tooth. I personally wouldn't even think of putting a cosmetic crown on a baby tooth.

For perspective, I am wondering whether the chip reminds you that she did fall and possibly could have hurt herself seriously, so you feel scared or guilty. Is that perhaps why it bothers you so much? Just a thought...

Same thing happened to my son when he was in 4th grade. Broke the front permanent tooth in half. Dentist basically builds up tooth so it looks good. Not much else they can do until he is older.
I was bummed when it happened but he took it in stride, asked the dentist if he could have a gold tooth. (he was going through a pirate phase) No gold tooth for him. lol
Sorry this happened but it will be okay.

Isnthisfun?...good to know braces work on your daughters teeth, my son is looking at needing braces and I was wondering.

I would guess you feel guilty because you didn't prevent it from happening. It would be great if we could actually bubble-wrap our kids and prevent all harm and accidents. But we cannot. My daughter (now almost 9) followed me down to the basement-unknown to me-when she was 2. She saw her little car sitting by the door to outside and decided to ride it-down the 4 cement stairs. I found her on the second to bottom step. When she wrinkles her brow or makes a surprise look, you can see a line on her forehead. This is a little dent on her skull. No problems at all. But it sometimes reminds me.

I don't know what to tell you about why you feel so bad about your baby's chipped tooth. It's a baby tooth, it will fall out, it's not like the adult tooth is going to come in chipped. Perhaps you are worried that it makes you look like a bad parent, that you will be judged? Anyone who judges you for something like that isn't worth your time.

When I was 2, I fell and knocked out both of my front baby teeth. I am sure it looked terrible. I don't even know if my mom felt bad, LOL. My adult teeth were just fine. Try not to worry!

You have a right to feel the way you feel.