My Daughter Fell & Hit Her Teeth on the Floor, Bad, Anyone Have This Happen Too?

My youngest fell when she was about one and smashed her face on the hardwood floor - knocked both top front teeth loose. I thought they'd fall out or discolor but they didn't...over the next week or so they tightened back up and remained just fine until they fell out on their own to make way for the (perfectly normal) adult teeth. But my oldest had what seemed to be a much less severe trauma where she bumped a front tooth and it did discolor...so I guess one never knows. The great thing is that it rarely affects the adult teeth, so don't worry about it!

Hi, our 3 1/2 year old hit his front teeth on the bathtub and bent them back about a year ago. My husband pulled them back into place and then went to the pediatric dentist who x-rayed them. We waited 6 weeks and then went back to the dentist. It turned out that his teeth weren't too damaged and it looked like he would keep them. (The dentist had talked about all sorts of costly things to do to keep them if they were damaged-eek! We were not so sure for baby teeth). One of his teeth is still a bit grey and his gums aren't quite in the normal place (a bit high) but he is OK. The one good thing that came out of it is that he had to stop sucking his thumb and now thumb sucking is a thing of the past. Good luck.

Hi H.-
Something similar happened to my daughter when she was about 5. She fell while tap dancing. I thought tap dancing would be safe. Who would have thought? Anyway one of her top teeth did start to turn dark a few months later. Since it was a baby tooth the dentist pulled it because it was dead and would start rotting. So she had no fromt tooth for a little while longer than what what would be normal. When her permanent tooth came in it was ok except it was really tilted. At about age 10 she had braces to straighten that tooth out. She is 17 now and has a beautiful smile! Good luck,
L.

My daughter, almost 5 at the time hit her front teeth on a cement floor and then another time on black top. First hitting one of her middle front teeth and then then other middle front. There was quite a bit of blood at first, but it stopped quickly. We took her to the dentist both times and he took x-rays and found there was no damage to her adult. However, her teeth were quite sentitive to many things for awhile after that, but they have healed just fine. Another however, she did hit both of them hard enough that they have turned a brownish/gray color. Nothing is wrong with the teeth, just the nerve was damaged enough that they went dead. It was hard at the beginning to see her beautiful white teeth turing color, but like anything you get used to it and so does everyone else. Every once in awhile someone will ask her or me why her teeth are the color they are and her response is that they are "just dead". We have made very light of the whole thing and she even sings a song "All I Want for Christmas is My Two White Teeth" and she and everyone around laughs. It as big a deal as you make it and all will be fine when she looses those and her adult teeth come in.

My 4 yr old son was jumping on his bed last fall and he fell and he fell so that somehow he ripped the gums off of his top front tooth. It looked horrible the first few days, but it healed nicely. You can see where it was, but only because I know it happened. It will seriously look GROSE for a little while, but it will heal, mouth injuries tend to heal fast and usually with no problems.

I have three year old boy/girl twins and my son has hit his front tooth three times. each time it had bled. All you have to do is watch the tooth. since it didn't loosen it will probably be fine. my son's is ok and tightened back up on it own. My Six year old did the same thing about a year ago. the tooth never tightened but never turned dark either and now he is losing his baby teeth like crazy so if the tooth doesn't turn color I wouldn't worry about it. Kids are resilliant and heal much quicker than adults.

I didn't have this happen but, a close friend did. It wasn't a major problem right away. They actually were able to forget about it until it was time for the tooth to come out. The tooth turned grey and stayed that way for a couple of years. When it was time to come out, it didn't come out on it's own it had to be pulled. Anyway, it's something to watch for. Good luck!

When my oldest was 2, he banged his face hard into our porcelain bathtub. Much as you described, it bled a lot and he had a fat lip. I actually took him to his dentist and it wasn't loose or even chipped. They explained that the gums bleed more easily so it looks really bad though it usually isn't as terrible as we think (I know I freaked out at all the blood). Anyhow, he is now 4 and his teeth are still healthy and beautiful!

My now 4 1/2 year old fell, probably a couple years ago, and put his bottom teeth through his lip and we've had no issues at all with this teeth.

If your are concerned, consider a trip to a pediatric dentist - I'm sure they have LOTS of experience with things like this.

It happened to my brother at about the same age, and he's fine now. His teeth didn't die or anything. And it's only two or three years until she gets her grown up teeth.

Unfortunatly i think at times that children are here to give us mothers alot of heart attacks lol. Me having 4 rambunctious girls has experience this and so many other things that make your heart want to stop.

Keep doing the saltwater rinses. If his tooth isnt loose/chipped then he should be fine. But, for your sake i would take him to the dentist to make sure it didnt hurt his new tooth he is getting in

When my son was about 8 years of age (he is now 16)he was using the pogo stick in the garage (which he knew he wasn't supposed to because of its slick cement floor) and it slipped from underneath him. He came down and jammed his top front teeth into his gums a little (enough to be noticed though) and they also bled. I called his dentist right away. We were told the same as you. We were concerned that he would lose his teeth or that they would turn black, but they didn't. Other than them being sore for a while and the gums turning black and blue, they were fine. He still has all of his teeth and has a beautiful smile.

Good luck and I hope that your sons turns out the same way.

Take her to the dentist. The doctor does not know all of the things about teeth that dentist's do. Good luck

yes, my 3 year old daughter hit her front tooth on a cement floor and after a few days it turned dark grey then black, the dentist said he could pull it out or we could wait to see what happens and I chose to wait and see. It's been 9 months and now you would never know it happened!

That happened to my little sister, many years ago (she is 21 now). She fell and her two front teeth did turn brown/black but our dentist told my Mom there was nothing to do but wait for her to lose her baby teeth and her permanent teeth to grow in. I don't know if there was any more involved with checking the gums or not.

Good Luck!

You just need to keep an eye on her gums & teeth. If you see any swelling like an absess or if her gums darken around the base of the teeth that won't go away than take her in. ( she may have a little swelling for a short time )
Little kids do this all the time without any problems, however once in a while it can lead to other things.
my daughter was about 4 when she got hit in the mouth by a heavy toy. I ended up having to take her to a dentist to have to two front teeth pulled because her gums had absessed (sp)
That was not a big deal either, because they were her baby teeth they came right out.
Just keep an eye on them :-)

It is funny you should mention that exact injury as my almost 3 year old son had nearly the same type. He was standing on our kitchen bench and was trying to get down and fell on his face too. He bled quite a lot and we also discovered the split bottom lip, a tear in the gum above his teeth and also a cut in the part that attaches the upper lip to the gums. We were concerned about his teeth also and decided to take him to the emergency room (no urgent cares open at that time of course). The doctor told us that mouth injuries in children heal very nicely and his only concern was to check the teeth and he did and they were fine. I would recommend just making an appointment with your normal doctor to be sure the teeth are OK if anything.

~H. C.

My 3 year old daughter missed a step climbing the stairs to a metal slide at the park and hit her mouth teeth first as she fell. Her two front top teeth shifted completely backwards and one went a little crooked. They bled a little at first. This accident is very recent, but I was also told by an experienced mother of 4 grown men (once 4 very active young boys) that almost all of her boys have a "front teeth knocked loose" story and she said that they almost always "firmed up" after a few days. She did say that if they do not firm up, it's best to have them pulled so that the child doesn't to continue to be in pain. She said that in any case the adult teeth always came in normal and straight in due time. I never had this happen to me when I was a child, but am starting to think this may be a "right of passage" for the active tot!

My daughter at 3 tripped and smashed her teeth into the tile floor. Her teeth were loose, and the pediatrician said they were fine. I called a pediatric dentist a couple days later because they were still loose, and that started a year of dentist visits every month! (as soon as we were in the clear, she did it again)

The best thing you can do is make sure nothing presses on her teeth. We had to immediately get rid of the passie (YAY! I had been trying so hard), and no foods she had to bite for weeks. It was at least a week before she was even approved for PB&J. The teeth did firm back up both times and made it until she was 6 and lost them. Through regular x-rays, we say that the roots started dying and shrinking. The thing to watch for is smell or color change that indicates the tooth is dead. You have to get the tooth out ASAP so an infection does not disrupt her permanant teeth. One visit, we noticed that my daughter's roots just stopped shrinking and started growing bigger. Kids are amazingly resiliant.

Good luck... it sounds like you are in the clear with the still not being loose.

My younger son had that happen to him. His teeth(before braces) protruded a bit and that seemed the type of injury he'd get. This teeth never turned black. A few times a tooth or two seemed loose but was ok after a little while.

Hi H. well a friend of mine just had the same thing happen and she took her daughter straight to the dentist to have her mouth exrayed because they can tell if there is internal damage to the teeth so they can tell you if they are going to turn brown!!!!

Dear H.!
Yes, using the salt water is the best thing to use.. keep the mouth thoroughly rinsed..at least three or more times a day to keep any particles of food out from under the gums..
If you have a water pic..I would use it first to make sure no food particles were under the gum area..use gently..
I also had to use a teething solution that had a pain killer in it..On her lip..did she need any stitches?
Your lucky the teeth are still tight..as for watching for teeth to turn black..is what no one wants for there kids..but it does happen..Luckily these are baby teeth..
But I would certainly get her to a very good childrens dentist.
I dont know what area you live in..there is an excellent childrens dentist in Wenatchee on North Miller..His name is Dr.Wright..I feel the mouth needs to be ex-rayed to see any further damage..
I have raised two boys..kids are active..each one of my boys hit there teeth when they were young..one undid the safety strap on a stroller and fell out on his little face..it was awful..the other fell off his bike..learning to ride..
There permanent teeth came in perfect..as parents we also feel the pain .Good luck to you..(____@____.com)
Sincerely;
C...

Both of my grandchildren have fallen head first and got split lips. I'm not sure what you mean when you say her gums come off with her teeth. Do you mean that her gums seem loose but her teeth are tight? If so I wouldn't worry. This happens frequently to toddlers. I have seen many toddlers whose lips were injured and not one of them later lost a tooth to the injury.

Black teeth are teeth that have died because the roots were severely damaged. I don't think a fall forward while standing on the floor would cause that much damage. To do that much damage one would have to fall from a great height, say 10-15 feet, or be pushed forward against a hard surface as in an auto accident and land directly on the teeth. In your daughter's fall her teeth were protected by her mouth and lips. The distance from which she fell is minimal.

More often a fall may knock a tooth out. Even this isn't usually serious for a toddler who only has baby teeth. There are healthy permanent teeth attached to the jaw bone.

My son fell and hurt his teeth at about they same age. I didn't think anything of it but all my friends said take him to the dentist and get them checked out. Its not the damage to the baby teeth but they can push them into the developing teeth and ruin them before they get a chance to grow in! It is worth the trip just to be sure.

Hi,

Our 3 year old fell and hit her front teeth about 6 months ago. Shortly after one of her teeth turned greyish blue. We took her to our pediatric dentist just to make sure there were no problems other than the tooth was dying. It is apparently very common. If the tooth turns greyish/blue then the root is dying. This is not great but it's generally not a problem when it's the baby teeth. What you do need to watch for is infection - so any puffiness or swelling or redness around the gum of the tooth as they could mean a root canal will be needed. Our dentist said our daughter's gums look okay and there is no sign of infection but we have to watch for it.

If you haven't I would suggest having a dentist double check to make sure all is well. I don't know where you are but we have a wonderful pediatric dentist in Woodinville that my daughter loves going to.

Good luck.

D.

My son broke one of his permanent teeth right after they came in. He has a fill in over it, has no problems. One can kinda see the fracture, but it no big deal to him. If they are not loose, then I'm sure they are fine too. And they are her baby teeth. Kids are really resilient, fortunately.

my son was 3 when he hit his chin on the monkey bars at his day care.... yes the tooth turned black and i took him to the dentist.... he reassured me that he killed the nerves but with it being a baby tooth there is nothing to worry about and that when the new teeth come in that they would be perfect. the dentist was right....!!!

Something like this happened to our daughter, but she fell and hit right on her teeth..breaking off the small bottom part of the teeth. We took her to a pediatric dentist to make sure everything was fine. They checked her teeth and gums over, told us what to look out for...and had her come in for a follow up.

I would suggest taking your child to a pediatric dentist...I found a great one in ther gresham area...not sure where you are. It wasn't as expensive as I expected either. Better safe than sorry.

My son fell face first on the concrete patio off the step while attempting to ride a push tractor off that step. I called the pediatrician, as we had the same issues, bleeding, fat lip, etc. She reassured me of the resilience of their little teeth and to just keep an eye for discoloration. It even broke off a portion of one of those front teeth. I was worried about 'vanity', knowing he would have a broken front tooth for several years but it is just a part of him now. It never did discolor and he is just fine.

Hi, im a dental assistant and my best advice to you if you are worried is to bring your baby to a dentist and have them take a look. mostly they would be looking for movement or fractures in the tooth. due to the trauma they could turn a different color later on which may indicate that the nerve is dying. i am by no means a dentist at all and am not telling this to diagnose what is wrong, it may also not be the case when you go in these are possibilities of what may be told to you. my suggestion is though, if you are still worried take you child in to see a dentist just to be safe.

My son used to give himself a fat lip all the time when he went through his headbutting stage and survived. But, if you are concerned about her teeth, I would take her into her doctor and have them look them over, if they haven't already. This way you know that you AND your daughter feel better knowing that she is ok or not. :D

Hi. I'm sorry about your daughter's accident. This happened to my daughter and I know how scary it can be. My daughter was not even a year when it happened and it actually caused her teeth to breah thru the gums. I was very concerned and called my aunt who is a dentist. She told me that as long as they weren't loose she would be ok, but that there is a chance (small, but still) that it could have caused nerve damage and that her teeth would start to blacken. It may not even happen until her big teeth come in. I still check her teeth all the time and am nervous for her. I'm sure this is not what you wanted to hear, and I know how scary it can be, but I know I appreciated the truth when it was me. Good Luck!! Oh, and so far my daughter's teeth are strong, health and not discolored and she is 7 years old now. Keep hopeful!

Most likely her teeth will be fine. When I was 12 I fell and hit my mouth on the bleachers at school...fat lip, blood everywhere, and I knocked my front tooth loose. Yep it was an adult one. My tooth is fine now, didnt fall out or turn black. Toddlers are amazingly resilient little critters that are designed to take a few falls while learning the boundaries of their physical world. I am sure that is why they are only a few feet off the ground..lol!