My Ten-Year-Old Broke a Piece Off of Her Front Tooth
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My daughter fell off of her bicycle and broke a chip off of her front tooth. I took her to her pediatric dentist. He said the tooth is fine except for the missing piece and to come back in a couple of months and he’ll fix it. I told him I didn’t want her to have to go that long with a chipped tooth. He said the tooth needs to desensitize before he can work on it. I got the feeling this wasn’t really true. What is the standard procedure for something like this?
Kate
Dear Kate,
There is no reason for the tooth to need to wait on a repair, so I am not sure why he is saying that. It’s possible he’s just booked and is finding an excuse to keep you from going somewhere else. In a way, it is a good thing he said this. You said you went to her pediatric dentist. The repair for a broken tooth is to have dental bonding done. This is an advanced cosmetic procedure that has to be done freehand. It is rare for a pediatric dentist to also have advanced cosmetic training. So, even if they did the repair, chances are that it would not look good.
My suggestion is that you see an expert cosmetic dentist who also treats children. I would look for someone who is accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. These are the best cosmetic dentists in the country and can make her tooth repair blend in seamlessly with her natural tooth structure.
Depending on if there is any underlying damage to the pulp of the tooth underneath, she may eventually need a dental crown for that tooth, but hopefully, her dentist was correct and there is not any damage other than the chip. I know a person who chipped a front tooth as a child and her tooth never needed a crown.
This blog is brought to you by Franklin, TN Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Christopher Weber.
