Oh no! His tooth is turning grey :(

[talon]

DS chucked a tanty a couple of weeks ago and banged his front teeth on the coffee table quite hard. One of his front teeth bled slightly around the gum.

I checked them again today and one of the front ones is turning grey! It isn't too noticable at the moment but I am worried as to how grey it will go? Do they turn black or just stay tinged with grey? Do they recover?

Do I need to take him to the dentist? It isn't loose and it isn't causing him any pain at this stage, he is eating normally - basically acting like it never happened. I am worried that it will get worse though.

Has anyone got any experience with this? I'm a tad worried...:(

Edit: Forgot to add he is 2 - not sure that would make any difference though.

[RedPanda]

Hmm, I don't have any experience with children's teeth, but I know when an adult gets a grey/brown tooth, it may indicate that the nerve has died. I would take him to a dentist just in case.

[Eeyore]

Hey talon, that would have given you a right old fright!!

Dont panic!!! Your son's tooth has turned grey because the nerve has died. It wont turn black, but it will stay grey - sorry. Anyway, you could take him to the dentist, but there isnt too much that they can do except for root canal and i would reckon that that would be a hospital job because of his age. I suggest that you keep on eye on the tooth. If he gets any pain or any pimple-like swellings on the gum above the tooth, take him to your dentist asap (it could mean an abscess which can damage the new adult tooth growing in the jaw bone). Keep it clean (as best you can) and it should be fine for a while yet. Call your dentist if you are really worried/he gets pain/the tooth gets wobbley.

It is probably a good idea to get him comfortable with the idea of going to the dentist - even just watching you at your next checkup and having a ride in the chair. That way, if the tooth does cause him some trouble before he loses it (usually at 6yrs or so) he will be familiar with the idea of the dentist.

[talon]

Thanks for the replies :) - I think I will ring up and book him in to see a dentist tomorrow just to make sure it is alright.

Does anyone know how long it will continue to turn grey for and what timeframe should I concentrate on for things like an abcess forming?

[nuddle]

sometimes kids teeth can recover, my dd knocked her tooth, it went grey, but then got a bit lighter again. Never the same colour, but lighter. She did end up getting an abcess on it, but not until around 5 years later, when it was already wobbly.

[talon]

thanks nuddle - just wondering how long it was between when her tooth turned grey and started to lighten up again?

[nuddle]

it did take a while, months I think, and was a very gradual process...