Ice pack, Tylenol, and watch for a day or two—unless the kid’s in real pain or there’s blood that won’t stop. Then I call.
I get the “wait and see” approach, but after my grandson chipped his front tooth (baby, but still), we waited a bit and it ended up getting infected. Dentist said even small chips can let bacteria in. Cost is a pain, but I’d rather pay for a quick check than an emergency later. Just my two cents.
Dentist said even small chips can let bacteria in. Cost is a pain, but I’d rather pay for a quick check than an emergency later.
That’s exactly what happened to me as a kid—chipped my tooth on the monkey bars (classic move), and my parents did the “let’s wait and see” thing. No pain at first, just looked a bit weird, so we shrugged it off… then it started hurting like crazy a week later. Ended up needing an emergency appointment and antibiotics. Looking back, probably would’ve saved some money (and some drama) if we’d just gone in right away.
Now that I’m deep in braces land, I’ve learned to respect the “get it checked” approach. Brackets pop off, wires poke, teeth get knocked around—my ortho says even tiny stuff can snowball if you ignore it. The cost stings, yeah, but nothing like a Saturday night ER visit.
Here’s my unofficial “what I do” checklist for tooth mishaps:
1. If it’s bleeding and won’t stop, or the tooth’s dangling—straight to the dentist (or ER if it’s wild).
2. If it’s chipped but not hurting? I usually call anyway, just to be safe. Sometimes they’ll say come in, sometimes not.
3. No visible damage and no pain? Ice pack, soft food, and watch… but still paranoid enough to take a pic and send it to my orthodontist for their opinion.
I totally get the urge to avoid the dentist (those bills are brutal), but honestly, every time I’ve tried to tough it out, I regret it. Especially with kids’ teeth—stuff can go sideways fast.
On the flip side, I have a friend who’s super chill about her kid’s mouth injuries and somehow never has issues. Maybe her family’s got superhero enamel or something.
Anyway—better safe than sorry, in my book. And if you’re rocking braces like me, trust me: nothing is more annoying than having to fix two problems because you waited too long.
You nailed it—waiting it out with teeth, especially with kids, usually backfires. I’ve seen way too many “it didn’t hurt at first” cases turn into swollen faces and frantic weekend calls. That checklist you shared is basically what I tell parents: if there’s bleeding that won’t quit or the tooth is loose, don’t hesitate. For chips, even if they look harmless, a quick call is worth it. Sometimes it’s nothing, but sometimes there’s a crack you can’t see.
Totally agree about the cost—it adds up fast, and it’s tempting to hope for the best. But honestly, catching things early almost always saves money (and pain) in the long run. Braces just add another layer of chaos. I’ve had patients come in thinking it’s “just a small issue,” and then it turns into a multi-step fix.
Some people do seem to get lucky, but I wouldn’t risk it. Teeth don’t heal like skin does, and little problems can snowball before you know it. Better to get a pro to check it out, even if you feel a bit paranoid.
Yeah, I’m with you on not waiting it out. When my daughter chipped her front tooth at the playground, it looked minor, but I still panicked a bit. Ended up calling the dentist, and turns out there was a tiny crack we couldn’t see—could’ve gotten so much worse if we’d just left it. I get wanting to avoid the cost, but honestly, the anxiety of “what if it gets worse?” is almost as bad. Braces definitely complicate things too… one loose bracket and it’s a whole thing.
That makes sense. I’ve seen a lot of “minor” tooth injuries turn out to be not so minor once the dentist takes a closer look. The thing with kids is, they don’t always say when something hurts, or maybe they can’t explain it. I get wanting to wait and see, especially with the costs, but the unknowns stress me out more. Have you ever tried to manage a loose bracket at home? I’ve heard of folks using wax, but I always end up calling the ortho anyway—just seems safer, even if it’s a hassle.
