Baby Tooth

I had a similiar experience when my oldest daughter was 3. In fact the fall caused her tooth to get shoved into her gums. For the longest time it was a greyish color and eventually turned yellowish. I took her to ta pediatric dentist who said to leave it alone and it will most likely be one of the 1st teeth that she loses. The tooth ended up being fine. Good luck!

I would get another dentist. I worked for a dentist for a few years, and my eldest daughter, then 5 had a bad fall in afterschool care. She banged her chin on a balance beam. She was fine, but then the tooth started turning yellow. I took her in with me to work, she got an xray and it was dead. She said there was no need to pull it. A while later she retook the xray to make sure eveything was ok. She said to leave it there so it would help guide her adult tooth that was coming in soon. With my middle daughter same thing happened and we never took the tooth out. There is no need unless she starts to feel pain, then I would take her back in to make sure that there is no infection or abcess. Pulling it now is totally unnecessary.

my daughter smashed her face on a ladder at gymnastics. both her front top teeth are grey. our ped dentist said that unless there is an infection (you can tell by blisters and sores on the gums near the affected tooth or teeth) then they will remove the teeth. my best friend is a hygenist (adults) but my kids see her for normal preventative stuff. She said that if the tooth is not bothering anything and is not infected then its better to leave it there, otherwise the adult tooth will not have it guide to guide it to where its suppose to go. The ped dentist said the same thing. as long as its not infected and not loose (my daughters was loose but stiffened back up) then there was no need for removal. Ask that question before they try and take the tooth. Your situation because there was a cut on the gum may be different. don't worry... even if they have to take them out, at least the tooth fairy will visit!! oh daughter is 5 now teeth look the same.

Hi Lisa, my daughter fell and split her front tooth right down the middle at age 3. After a grueling 2 weeks wait to have the thing removed (when a mother tells a dentist her baby has cracked her tooth in half they always assume it is just a little chip!). I felt awful putting her under that anesthesia even if it was just for 5 minute. She devoloped normally - no speach deficits (but she was already quite a talker at the time of the accident) - her teeth are beautiful now (she's 12) and they came in naturally - of course we have years of toothless photos!
Good luck

J.

My son lost both of his front teeth to two different falls by the time he was three. The first fall was a bad one and his tooth turned very dark. The second one was a few months later and it just finished what the first one started. The dentist removed the first tooth with no problems and the other came out on it's own. Don't worry. His teeth came in fine. His baby teeth came in late, so he lost them late. His permanent teeth didn't come in until the fourth grade. His pictures are so cute of him as a child without his front teeth. He is now thirteen and going through the braces phase. Losing his teeth early hasn't changed a thing. Every time we look at his pictures it reminds us of the dare devil in him. It just makes me smile and reminds me of how far we have come. My daughter had an injury to a permanent tooth when she was ten. She is now 18 and even that healed completely. I was more concerned about her injury than his. Your son will be fine, just toothless longer than you expected.

Hi Lisa. Something similar happened to my bf. Her son actually had a dangling tooth though. He did have to get it extracted which apparently was more tramatic for my friend than the 2 yr old! They knocked her son out with something and he couldn't remember anything and didn't have any pain! Good luck..it hurts us parents a lot when our babies get hurt!

When my son was four he knocked his two front teeth out (on two separate occasions within two weeks of each other). The pediatric dentist told me it was no big deal and not to worry about it. He looked cute without those teeth. It was stressful, but it all worked out fine.

A friend of mine's daughter had something similar happen at about the same age. Their dentist simply told her to keep a close eye on them for any signs of infection but that leaving them in place till the permanent teeth were ready to come in would be better overall. If I remember right it was to help the permanent teeth come in the way there were supposed to and as long as the teeth are there they are still feeding the bones. I could be mistaken about that though. Her daugther is now a senior in high school and has beautiful permanent teeth.

Definitely see the pediatric dentist to get their information on it. In the meantime keep teeth brushed and maybe rinsing with warm salt water will help deter infection.

My daughter whacked herdself in the mouth with the turnstile at a store then tripped over a pallet at Costco a week later smacking her mouth again. The dentist said the same that the perm tooth wasn't damaged but they did not remove the baby tooth. She did however have 8 teeth pulled for lack of room. Just wait and see what the ped dentist says. I would leave it unless it is really necessary.

I had that happen at around that age and did have the tooth pulled. I don't remember it at all and my adult teeth grew in fine... I just had a gap in my smile longer than most kids!

My sons front tooth turned dark because of a fall. Our dentist did not take exrays or want to take it out. She said it was fine. They would only take it if there was nerve damage. His perma tooth would be fine as well.

I would get a second opinion about the early extraction.

Hi Lisa,
When I was 3 years old I remember that I fell from a table and hit my front teeth against a tile floor. (I guess it hurt so much that it is my first real memory.) Anyways...one of my teeth turned gray as well, and I kept my gray tooth until it was time for the adult teeth to push it out of the way. It never gave me any trouble. It was not removed early, but I don't think I saw a dentist for this.

We had a similar accident when my daughter was 5. The dentist said the adult tooth was undamaged and fully formed and that the tooth would probably come out prematurely on its own, but it might take awhile for the adult one to come in. He was right. About a month after the accident, the tooth was really loose and came out. It took 6 months for the adult one to drop down. I was nervous like you that the adult tooth would not be okay, but my worries were unfounded. It sounds like your dentist thinks everything is okay with you son, too.

S.

my daughter did the same thing when she was two. she fell face first on our brick mantle and jammed her tooth into her gums. i took her to the dentist to make sure if it needed to be removed. he said no, and it has not damamged her permanent teeth, as she is twelve now, with beautiful teeth.

Hi Lisa,

My older son had the same thing happen to him at the park. He walked in front of someone swinging and was kicked in the mouth. His tooth did turn grey, but it was not pulled and it did not affect the permanent tooth. But, I think you should just go by the pediatric dentists advice.

Both my girls fell at 3 or 4 and also had a dark tooth because of it. The dentist said also it did not affect the permenente tooth so he just left the baby tooth. It fell out eventually and the big tooth came in and it looks great. I didn't pull the tooth out. He just said by bumping the tooth it died and that's why is turned colors.
I'd see the ped. dentist and then decide. I left my girls' tooth in. I didn't want them to have a hole for a long time, nor did I want a silver tooth.