Discolored Tooth

Yes, it sounds like a dead tooth, not the end of the world. Thankfully it is his baby tooth. Stop stressing and take him to the dentist.

Hi,

My son fell the same way yours did when he was 1 and a half. His right front tooth turned gray. We took him to the dentist and they did an X-ray. The dentist confirmed that his adult tooth was perfectly fine but the baby tooth had nerve damage. The dentist monitored the tooth for about a year and a half. When he was three, he was scheduled to go in and have it removed but he knocked it out completely the week before the appointment. I think they were concerned about an abscess.

Our options were to monitor the tooth, remove it and leave a gap, remove it and have a "bridge" or false tooth put in. We just left the gap for 4 years until his adult tooth grew in at 7. Honestly, if he knocked out his real baby tooth, we feared that he'd knock out his false tooth too! He was perfectly fine with the gap. He loved telling his "war story" of how his tooth was knocked out and how there was blood and gore.... Boys! :-) Plus the tooth fairy showed up at 3 years old instead of 6 like most kids! No kids teased him, they were just curious and he was ready with an answer that he was proud of...

Having the dentist Xray the tooth and see that the adult tooth was fine brought me a lot of peace. Perhaps it will you too.

Best wishes, K.

If it's a dead tooth (which sounds likely) it'll turn kind of grey, but it will probably lighten back up a bit over time. My son went over the handle-bars of his bike at 3 and knocked his tooth (it actually bled). I took him to the dentist for an x-ray to be sure it hadn't done any other damage. He's fine. Two years later, it's loose. But it's not even the first tooth he's losing.

Watch for a blister or pimple at the gum line. That would mean an infection. Otherwise it'll be fine.

I agree your husband is probably right. Definitely make sure a pediatric dentist sees him, but I would not pull it if there are no other reasons to pull the tooth. Luckily the front teeth are usually the first ones to fall out when the adult teeth come in. Good luck, let us know what the dentist says!

My guess it is a baby tooth, if so my daughter has one of her front baby teeth dead. It took awhile for it to change color and then I put two and two together (she fell on a step, hit the tooth, it did bleed a little but with ice it stopped so no further worry).

We went to two different dentist, family then pediatric dentist. The first said pull it, but pointed us to the pediatric dentist. The pediatric dentist looked at it, looked at the x-ray, and sad that yes it was dead but no holes and it does not have a cyst above the tooth (which would suggest infection) so to leave it. Now if it is infected it can harm the adult tooth that has not come in yet so it might need to be pulled. She also said that since it is a baby tooth, it will fall out and it is a front one so will be one of the first to fall out.

Yes my daughter does get some odd looks from the kids that say "your tooth is brown/green/yucky" but it is just a dead tooth that will fall out. So we have taught my daughter to say it is dead nothing I can do about the color but will fall out sometime in kindergarten.

I would not worry about it, see what the dentist says. Personally I would go to the pediatric dentist because they deal with kids every day and seem to handle everything with better care regarding the child’s fear/nervousness.

If he bumped it, it's dead. My daughter had a dead tooth for 2 years before it finally came out, and there's no sign of the adult tooth in sight ;) No big deal! It will stay brown/grayish, but won't turn black. It won't effect the adult tooth. RELAX :)

You do need to take him in. more than likely the nerve of the tooth was damaged and it is dying, and why the tooth looks discolored. usually this is not painful, but the tooth can abscess. Seeing as how your son could have that tooth up to 3-4 more years, your dentist may recommend a pulpotomy (a root canal on a baby tooth), and then capping the tooth (some dentists do silver crowns on baby teeth which I think is cruel bc children tease so much) there are white composite options that can be done very well by a highly qualified dentist. Or the tooth may come out early. try not to fret too much until you have all the options from the dentist. Also, try not to project your fear and worry to your son. good luck!

As everyone is saying, take him to the dentist. But do not let him hear you tell anyone your suspicions about being laughed at, etc. Do not let him see you panic or get upset about it. Act as calm and as normal as possible. In the worst case scenario, he will learn from you how to deal with disaster. Do you want him to be self-conscious or feel like the ugly kid? Kids will tease other kids about something. If it's not a tooth, it is his name or his size or his clothing choice or his laugh. You get the idea. You can't shelter him from other kids. Hurt kids hurt kids. There are a lot of hurting kids out there. Don't let your son be one of them. Make sure he knows that you love him no matter what he looks like.

Picture the worst case scenario and imagine how you would want him to handle it. Then start planning for it. Imagine your response when the dentist tells you. Plan how you will be calm, acting as if it is just fine. Ask what the options are and ask the dentist's advice. If your son sees you cry or get hysterical, he will think it is absolutely horrible. This is only temporary. When you feel upset (which is normal), remind yourself about kids who have permanent deformities and what their families have to go through. Be thankful for a temporary situation. Prepare yourself for the worst and then maybe it will be nothing.

As your son ages, he will need to learn how to laugh at himself. If it's not his tooth, it may be something else. Teach him how to laugh along with others when they tease him. If someone makes fun of his tooth or whatever, give him some funny responses. When other kids don't get the reaction they were expecting, they go on to someone else.

You should talk to your dentist. They would probably know how to help you or what it might be.

It sounds like a dead tooth to me. My friend's 3 yr old son just went through this too. The tooth fell out (it was loose for a few months before it finally fell out). He is about to turn 4 and hasn't had his front tooth for months now. They had first thought they'd have a fake made (I think it was supposed to cost around $300....don't quote me on that). However, once it fell out, they realized it wasn't as noticeable as they thought it would be. I have to agree, I forget he's missing a tooth. Don't worry about him getting made fun of at school. By the time he's at the age where kids notice and make fun of such a thing, it will be age appropriate to be missing teeth (i.e. kids start losing their teeth in kinder). Is this ideal? No. ...and I'm sorry you are going through this. However, your panic will pass.

Yes it is most likely a dead tooth. One of my front teeth died and I didn't even know it. It was discolored but I figured I just needed a tooth whitening and I went in for a root canal on a molar and the endodontist assumed I was there for my front tooth, which I ended up also needing a root canal on.

The dentist will be able to tell whether or not the permanent tooth is damaged as well - it's probably not. If at all possible, I would highly recommend having it pulled. My DSD had a B. front tooth from hitting it from about ages 3-6 (until it fell out) and looking back, she was clearly self-conscious about it because she didn't smile in any pictures for years and she didn't talk much either during that time. Looking back, I can't believe that we didn't pick up on how much it bothered her but it did. A missing tooth is better than a B. one. I suppose that in theory a root canal and crown are options but heck I haven't had my own tooth permanently fixed yet (the root canal was done 18 months ago and I can't afford the crown) and I can't imagine spending that kind of money on a baby tooth!

Good luck - this is just one of those things that happens!

If the baby tooth is bad, it may fall out earlier than normal and he may have a gap until the adult teeth come in, somewhere between 5-7 years of age. The dentist can xray and tell you when the adult teeth will come in, depends on which tooth it is. Usually around kindergarten/first grade.