Damaged front teeth on my 10 year old child

May 17, 2010 – 7:12 pm

My child was playing on some wet playground equipment yesterday, and she slipped and fell. She broke one of her top front teeth off, and the other has a diagonal crack in it. Our regular dentist said he will not be able to fix it until next month! He says that the root needs time to become less sensitive, or something–I don’t really understand why he wants to wait.

I want to get this fixed right away! I am fine with going to a new dentist, but I need to know what he is talking about with the root being sensitive. Is it customary to wait, with this kind of injury? The appointment he offered us is nearly 4 weeks away.

Thanks for you advice,

Celeste in L.A.

Dear Celeste,

There is no medical reason to delay this treatment. If you have the piece of the tooth that broke off, a skilled cosmetic dentist might be able to reattach it.

Which brings me to the most important point: You should be very careful to choose an expert cosmetic dentist to do this treatment for your child. Most dentists do not have the skills and training to repair/replace your daughter’s front teeth so that they look natural and match each other in terms of translucency, color and size. As your child is 10, I am assuming these are her adult teeth that have been damaged.

From what you describe, I think direct dental bonding will work best to effect this repair of your child’s tooth if you do not have the piece that was broken off, or if it is unusable. Direct dental bonding requires tremendous skill and artistic ability, so be very sure that you have chosen the right dentist for the job. Ask to see pictures of his or her work, and check credentials carefully.

When you daughter is older, she may need a crown on one or both of the teeth, depending on the extent of the damage. In that situation, too, you will want to make sure the dentist you go to has the proper training and artistic skills to do a beautiful job.

Best of luck to you in locating someone to help you and your child.