Child with chipped (adult) tooth - tips?

[Happy Camper]

In what appears to have been an accident (but you never know with those two!), one of my dc hit the other with a shovel while clearing snow and the victim chipped a tooth. Of course it's an adult tooth. I did some searching online, and it appears that if it's more than half chipped, it should be treated fairly soon. So I called my dentist's office and called the emergency number for his dentist. I left a message and got a call back over an hour later. Apparently the dentist is out of state on vacation and won't be back to work until January 3rd and neither will the other dentist in the practice. He said as long as he isn't in much pain, it can probably wait until then. I did tell him that we have the chipped off portion of tooth, and he seemed to think he may be able to bond it back on, but didn't give clear instructions on what to do with the chipped part in the meantime. I mentioned we had put it in milk (which I think is supposed to be done to a full tooth - oops), but once again, he didn't give me different instructions. I should mention that I stopped seeing this dentist over a year ago for a very specific reason, but kept the rest of the family there because they like the hygienists.

Anyway, I'm wondering if I should take him elsewhere to get it looked at. My concern is that it could become infected in the meantime, and require a root canal. I think I would have felt a bit better if the dentist at least asked me to text him a picture so he could see the extent of the chip. Am I overreacting? Any experience in this area? I would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks in advance!

[Arcadia]

When my usual dentist was away, we went to another dentist and she put tooth cement on it so that I could wait for my usual dentist to do a crown/cap on the chipped molar.

Depends on how bad the chip is, my DS16 and I had needed root canal treatment and crowns. 

[Katy]

I probably wouldn’t wait unless you want to wait until the 2nd for insurance reasons. I’d use the best reviewed person on google that can get you in this week.

[Sneezyone]

8 hours ago, Katy said:

I probably wouldn’t wait unless you want to wait until the 2nd for insurance reasons. I’d use the best reviewed person on google that can get you in this week.

Having a chipped adult tooth sucks. Happened to me when I was in elementary. I’d go to the first available, reputable place too. Chipped teeth  usually require a root canal eventually but I didn’t need one until my 30s.

Edited December 27, 2021 by Sneezyone

[gardenmom5]

have the dentist look at it.  The bigger issue is the size of the chip, or it it's cracked/broken.

If you're not happy with that dentist, you likely won't be happy now.

go to yelp or a local FB/Nextdoor page, and find one with good reviews and get in as soon as you can.  

[prairiewindmomma]

In my area, there are emergency dentists—dentists who have night and weekend hours and lots of daily availability. I would be looking for one of those (for an appointment this week) or looking for a new practice altogether. I wouldn’t stick with a dentist I don’t like and who isn’t organized enough to have someone covering their practice while they are on vacation. 

[WendyLady]

My husband chipped both front teeth as a teen. The bottom potion of each tooth is just gone. Neither one required a root canal or crown. He has what is essentially a large strong filling that makes up the lower half of his front two teeth. They look totally normal. He eats just fine (whole apples, etc). He has chipped them twice in the 25 years we have been married - once playing church basketball and once just wrestling around with our kids. The dentist (different one each time) did another bonding or filling to repair and he was fine. Hopefully the chip isn’t deep enough that they need a root canal!! 

[Happy Camper]

Thanks so much for the replies. It's one of his bottom teeth in the very front, and it broke off at an angel, so it's lower on one side than the other. It's been long enough that the Advil has worn off, and it's tender when he tries to bite, even though he was biting into a soft muffin. So yes, I will be making some calls tomorrow. And it looks like I'll be switching the kids completely now, since I agree it's ridiculous for them both to be away at the same time. Not to mention the fact that their voicemail greeting said nothing about them being on vacation, although I guess that's because the hygienists are still working this coming week, doing cleanings, etc. My previous experience with this dentist was that he recommended a root canal, which it turns out I didn't need. It's a longer story than that, but that's the short version.

Thanks again!

[katilac]

29 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

In my area, there are emergency dentists—dentists who have night and weekend hours and lots of daily availability. I would be looking for one of those (for an appointment this week) or looking for a new practice altogether. I wouldn’t stick with a dentist I don’t like and who isn’t organized enough to have someone covering their practice while they are on vacation. 

Yes. He should have more of an answer/response than, "It can probably wait." 

[Dianthus]

Go elsewhere. I had saved my ds's chipped piece but they weren't able to use it because it was so small and part was lost. Sooner is better before your child wears more of the tooth in his mouth. Did you plan on him eating? I can't believe your dentist said it could wait.

[Happy Camper]

11 hours ago, Spirea said:

Go elsewhere. I had saved my ds's chipped piece but they weren't able to use it because it was so small and part was lost. Sooner is better before your child wears more of the tooth in his mouth. Did you plan on him eating? I can't believe your dentist said it could wait.

I can't believe it either. The more I think about it, the more upset  get. He tried to eat a very soft muffin last night and it was sore. I've already called one new dentist's office this morning and left a message. If I don't hear back soon, I'll be calling another. We live in a very rural area, so there are a ton of options to pick from, nor do people typically leave reviews on Yelp, but just for kicks, I tried Yelp as a previous poster suggested, and found two awful reviews about the current dentist. Not surprised. I'll be switching everyone ASAP.

[Harriet Vane]

This cannot wait. He needs to be evaluated for nerve damage. The dentist can possibly rebond the tooth but that cannot wait days and days. Definitely fire the yahoo who told you otherwise.

[Happy Camper]

After calling three places, I got an appointment for tomorrow morning. The first place I called, I had left a message and didn't get a call back until I had already secured an appointment, but I thought it was interesting that it was the dentist herself calling me back! She said she is short staffed this week and handling things alone today. The second place I called is closed until January 3rd also. At this point, I'm grateful I got an appointment for tomorrow, even though we have to drive farther away to get to it.

As a side note, I logged in on my computer so I could type up the original post (I usually just lurk on my phone), and realized that my signature hadn't been updated in over 5 years! Oops! I thought I had updated it awhile back, but it turns out that I only updated my profile, not my sig. I never see sigs on the mobile version so I hadn't even noticed. 😂