My Child Broke a Baby Tooth

My child’s baby tooth broke. Do I need to get it removed?

Unfortunately, when it comes to children, broken or fractured teeth can occur. Toddlers learning to walk are unsteady on their feet. Children playing hard or playing sports may experience dental trauma causing damage to their teeth.  Kids can even break or fracture a tooth simply while eating! The injury doesn’t have to be the result of an impact.  Depending on their age, the affected tooth may be one of their baby teeth.  Treatment for these issues varies depending on the type of tooth damage.

When your child suffers a chipped, fractured, or broken tooth, you want to call Odin House Dental Surgery House as soon as possible.

Got to the dentist

Whether a baby tooth or a permanent tooth, it is crucial to reach out to your pediatric dentist right away when your child has damaged a tooth.  If your child should damage their teeth outside of regular business hours (anything more than a minor chip), it is recommended that you go to the emergency room. You must then follow up with your child’s regular dentist as soon as possible.

Fractured tooth

If your child experiences a chipped or fractured tooth, you can do the following to help ease the pain until you can get to your general dentist:

• Save any pieces of the broken tooth.  Keep them moist in water or milk; your dentist might be able to use them when repairing a broken tooth.
• Carefully use floss to remove any fragments left in the mouth.
• Gently rinse the mouth with warm water; this will help clean the area.
• You can use a cold compress, however, do not apply heat to the affected area.
• You may give your child children’s pain medication as indicated on the packaging, however, do not put aspirin directly in their mouth.

Remember, if your child experiences a chipped or broken tooth, it is important for you to stay calm.  Kids feel the stress of their parents.  Calm, assured, and quick action on your part will help prevent infection, soothe their anxiety, and minimize or eliminate continued injury or damage.

Baby tooth fractures vs. permanent tooth fractures

Tooth fractures are treated differently depending on whether they affect baby teeth or permanent teeth.

Kids can chip their baby teeth just from everyday use.  Dentists will most often leave these alone or smooth them out if needed. However, when it comes to a more extensive fracture, the dentist may use a filling to replace the broken area of the tooth.  If possible, the dentist may replace the original pieces of the tooth. On occasion, tooth repair may require a crown.  If a baby tooth has been completely knocked out, your dentist may not replace it.   Your dentist’s goal will be to keep the integrity of the permanent tooth that will replace the baby tooth.

When a permanent tooth has been damaged or fractured, it is important to contact Odin House Dental Surgery right away.  These fractures require immediate attention.

About Odin House Dental Surgery

Over the last two decades, Odin House Dental Surgery has been proud to serve the suburb of Innaloo and has grown to include 10 dentists, three oral health therapists, and 10 support staff. We have eight surgery rooms, a sterilisation room, a laboratory (where we make your mouthguards, whitening trays, and models) as well as two waiting rooms which include a small play area for children. We also have a unique “special room” complete with a massage chair, large screen TV, and even X Box!

Our dentists are all members of the Australian Dental Association and are local to Perth, so it would be no surprise if you have seen us out and about in the community.