Any dentists, hygienists, etc? Take a look at this please.

[Nakia]

Background: My almost 9 year old has always had tooth "problems." She has a teeny little mouth and has lost 4 more teeth than my 11 year old, so obviously, she's losing them prematurely. The molars that are currently coming in (8 year?) are butting up against the molars that are already there. She is going to have spacers put in her mouth because she's started losing molars already, and we don't want the other teeth to shift. So anyway, bless her, it's always something with her little mouth.

 

Now for the problem. She has been complaining of mild tooth pain for a couple of days. I took a look over the weekend and just chalked it up to those new molars that are coming in. She is eating well with no complaints with hot or cold food/drinks. Tonight she started fussing right before bedtime about her mouth hurting, so I had her lie down, and I saw this swollen area on her gum, right between one molar and a new one coming in. This picture was made with my cell, so it's not a good picture, but it shows the location, which might be helpful. It's more red in real life and looks like it has a head on it. It is soft and really sensitive to touch. I called my friend who is a hygienist at our pediatric dentist, and she thinks it's either a tooth abscess or an eruption cyst. When I google, it doesn't really fit either one of those exactly, but I know it could be either.

 

Anyway, I'm definitely taking her to the dentist tomorrow, but I just wondered if anyone might have any information.

 

Here's the pic:

 

[Tap]

could it be a canker sore?

[*********]

Nakia, I'm no help. Just wanted to send a :grouphug: to you and your dd. I bet that hurts!

 

Praying the dentist provides her with quick relief tomorrow.

[Nakia]

could it be a canker sore?

 

Well, you know, I didn't think of that. Leave it to me to make it the worst case scenario. LOL! I hope it is a canker sore!!! That would be awesome (and cheap to fix). She's never had one before, and it really looks like more than that though.

 

Nakia, I'm no help. Just wanted to send a :grouphug: to you and your dd. I bet that hurts!

 

Praying the dentist provides her with quick relief tomorrow.

 

Thank you, my friend!

[GraciebytheBay]

It looks exactly like the abscess my son had. I can't see the degree of redness in the pic, but my son's was pretty red, then turned kind of white. His was in the area of a previous filling from a deep cavity. The dentist said he might need a root canal in that area if it comes back, but so far, he's been okay. I think he took an antibiotic. I hope it goes well for your daughter! Poor little one.

[Nakia]

Looks like the canker sores I get sometimes. Salt water helps a lot.

 

I really hope it's something that simple.

 

It looks exactly like the abscess my son had. I can't see the degree of redness in the pic, but my son's was pretty red, then turned kind of white. His was in the area of a previous filling from a deep cavity. The dentist said he might need a root canal in that area if it comes back, but so far, he's been okay. I think he took an antibiotic. I hope it goes well for your daughter! Poor little one.

 

She had a cavity in that molar several years ago, but it wasn't a bad cavity; it was just superficial. It is a lot redder than it looks in the pic. :(

[moki4]

looks like an abscess. If it becomes worse tonight, take her to the ER.

They will open it and let it drain. They will also put her on antibiotics.

[Nakia]

looks like an abscess. If it becomes worse tonight, take her to the ER.

They will open it and let it drain. They will also put her on antibiotics.

 

By worse, do you mean increased swelling and pain? Fever? I hadn't even thought we might need to go to the ER. Oh dear. The ER docs here are idiots. I'd have to take her to the bigger hospital where I work if it came to that.

 

 

 

P.S. Yes, I'm a nurse. And yes, I forget everything I know when my kids get sick. :tongue_smilie:

[moki4]

Ps. I'm an fnp and work er. Exactly! She may get facial swelling and redness. Not always a fever, but if she gets one you know the infection is worsening. We see these all the time so don't worry! Gosh, your local er should be able to handle this. Give her some Motrin. If it has a "head" on it, you could get a hot wash cloth and gently massage the area and maybe you can get it to drain. Good luck. I know we are always mamas first!

[Nakia]

Ps. I'm an fnp and work er. Exactly! She may get facial swelling and redness. Not always a fever, but if she gets one you know the infection is worsening. We see these all the time so don't worry! Gosh, your local er should be able to handle this. Give her some Motrin. If it has a "head" on it, you could get a hot wash cloth and gently massage the area and maybe you can get it to drain. Good luck. I know we are always mamas first!

 

Thank you so much! She's been sleeping for several hours. I'm going to head to bed in a bit, but I'll check on her, of course, before I go to bed.

 

You would be surprised how terrible my local ER is. It truly is a disaster.

[BMW]

Chiming in here late... only because my son lost a tooth because of absess... I do not know if his case is typical and how to diagnose your daughter's case... but my son's absess sore was very white, so I expected to see white on the sore for the picture.

 

I hope it is something simple. In any event, hugs all around!!!!

[Nakia]

Just wanted to post an update. Emma slept straight through the night last night, and when she woke up, the swollen area was totally gone. The gum was still really red though, so I went ahead and took her to the dentist. No abscess!! The area was super inflamed because that permanent molar was basically crashing into the baby molar. We knew this was a problem (I mentioned it in my op), but we were hoping the tooth would come out on it's own. Anyway, the dentist had to pull the tooth to make room for the permanent molar. She did great, but it is really sore. They said it was difficult to get out and gave her a prescription for liquid Vicodin. :001_huh: Poor thing. She'll get her spacers in two months.

 

Here's picture of the tooth. It was made with my cell so it's not a good pic.

 

 

[DusksAngel]

Poor baby. It stinks having a small mouth (ask me how I know). Hopefully she'll get to feeling better soon.

 

P.S. I knew a nurse who worked ER but would faint if she saw her kids or other close family member bleeding.

[*********]

P.S. I knew a nurse who worked ER but would faint if she saw her kids or other close family member bleeding.

 

Ok, HOW does that work, LOL. I guess it isn't so much the blood that makes her faint, but rather the anxiety at knowing the pain her close family member may be in?

 

Funny to me, 'cause I plan to one day get my RN. I watched them stitch up Moose's chin a few months ago, and actually was quite enthralled by the process. (Of course, they had numbed him, so he was finally no longer sobbing or upset. That helped my nerves, LOL)

 

Nakia, glad your dd is better now, but I'm betting that HURTS! I mean, LOOK at the roots on that thing! Pulling that must have left quite the hole in her gum. Poor thing. I know you'll help her manage her pain well.

[DusksAngel]

Ok, HOW does that work, LOL. I guess it isn't so much the blood that makes her faint, but rather the anxiety at knowing the pain her close family member may be in?

 

Funny to me, 'cause I plan to one day get my RN. I watched them stitch up Moose's chin a few months ago, and actually was quite enthralled by the process. (Of course, they had numbed him, so he was finally no longer sobbing or upset. That helped my nerves, LOL)

 

Nakia, glad your dd is better now, but I'm betting that HURTS! I mean, LOOK at the roots on that thing! Pulling that must have left quite the hole in her gum. Poor thing. I know you'll help her manage her pain well.

 

It really was just because they were "hers". She joked about it often (she had boys so you can imagine).

[MHowell]

That's a big tooth for such a small mouth! Glad she's feeling better!

[Nakia]

Ok, HOW does that work, LOL. I guess it isn't so much the blood that makes her faint, but rather the anxiety at knowing the pain her close family member may be in?

 

Funny to me, 'cause I plan to one day get my RN. I watched them stitch up Moose's chin a few months ago, and actually was quite enthralled by the process. (Of course, they had numbed him, so he was finally no longer sobbing or upset. That helped my nerves, LOL)

 

Nakia, glad your dd is better now, but I'm betting that HURTS! I mean, LOOK at the roots on that thing! Pulling that must have left quite the hole in her gum. Poor thing. I know you'll help her manage her pain well.

 

I don't know how that works, but it does! LOL! I am a complete and utter mess if something happens to one of my kids. It's not so much the blood that creeps me out; it's the fact that I forget basic nursing knowledge. Just like when I asked moki4 on here last night about the signs of an abscess getting worse. Duh! I feel like a dope. :tongue_smilie:

 

A couple of years ago Cora fell and cut the back of her head open, and I freaked because I just don't want them to hurt. I didn't freak outwardly, just on the inside. The doctor stapled it closed, and I did fine during that. In fact, I held her for it, and I removed the staples at home the next week. Now, when she broke her collarbone, I did freak. I was hysterical for about 10 minutes until my mom could calm me down. I literally could not control myself when I saw the bone sticking up, almost out of the skin. I felt like :svengo:When Anna got kicked by a horse (are my kids accident prone? lol), I held it together surprisingly well. That was a true emergency, so I know God gave me the grace and wisdom to make it through.

 

The only thing that truly bothers me, no matter who it is, is a hand wound. I don't know why, but I cannot stand it. I could never work in a hand surgeon's office or an ER probably.

 

Anyway, I think you'd be a great nurse, Bethany!! Go for it. I love being a nurse.

 

Yes, those roots are a beast! I'm getting ready to give her some of the Lortab. Poor thing. Thank you for your prayers.

[Nakia]

That's a big tooth for such a small mouth! Glad she's feeling better!

 

I know, right? She does have big ole teeth and teeny tiny mouth. That teeny tiny mouth is causing quite the trouble for her too. :glare:

[*********]

Anyway, I think you'd be a great nurse, Bethany!! Go for it. I love being a nurse.

 

Yes, those roots are a beast! I'm getting ready to give her some of the Lortab. Poor thing. Thank you for your prayers.

 

Thanks for the ecouragement! It'll be ten years or so before I can apply to the Nursing program; dh and I want me to be availabe to the boys until they both start community college, and I'm hoping Moose will be able to start somewhere between age 14-16. So, I've got several years to finish my pre-req's. At least this way, taking them one at a time, gives me an advantage; it's easier to pull all A's, giving me a 4.0 (so far!), which puts me in a more competitive position when I'm ready to apply to the program.

 

But I really am looking forward to it.

 

And I understand, it's hard to be all objective and nurse-like when it's your little one that's hurting. I'm sure our brains are all in mama mode, instead of medical professional mode.