Tooth went through bottom lip

[calebsmommy25]

My 2.5 year old DS jumped off a bridge at the playground while I had my back turned and bit through his bottom lip. It is slightly swollen and the top part of his bottom lip is still a little bloody, and underneath has stopped bleeding, but you can see where his tooth went through.

How can I clean it? How do I know if he needs a stitch or more? I would take him right in to get it checked out, but he has a lapse in health insurance...the only stinking time he doesn't have it something happens. I'm just afraid of it getting infected from him touching it or eating or something.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Any help would be appreciated.

[ASusan]

*I* don't have experience, but my sister did a similar thing when she was about 3. My parents took her in, and it did require stitches. (My mom is a nurse, and she didn't feel comfortable handling it herself.)

I'm sorry that you have no insurance. I think most hospitals have a payment program? (And they DON'T want you to know about it. DH had a very expensive surgery when he was in college, and he spent quite a bit of time negotiating with the payment people at the hospital. There ARE funds to cover those who are uninsured; they try their very best NOT to help you use these funds and to get the money out of you.)

If you do take him in, be aware that they may want to use a "papoose" board, which straps the child down so they don't move/struggle during the procedure. This part of the procedure freaked out my sister much more than the actual stitching.

[34me]

If you do feel like you need to take him in an urgent care clinic or a peds office often does stitiches waaaay cheaper than an ER. If we hadn't had insurace for my ds's they would have been about $125 at the peds office. A lot of money, yes but not the $500 they would have been at the ER

Is there a gap in the cut? How long is it? Does it open up when he moves his mouth? If there is no gap and it's stopped bleeding it really depends on how comfortable you are with getting a couple of steri strips at the drug store and taping it up. And how dirty you think it might be in there.

[Llyra]

Another option might be derma-bond-- that glue they use. I can't exactly recall the spelling of it. DS recently wound up in the ER after his twin sister tried to brain him with a garden spade (don't ask...) and because the cut was clean and straight they elected to just glue it.

The papoose board is awful. I would ask for sedation for the child, before I'd let them strap a small child down.

Stitches need to be done within about six hours, so you'll want to make a decision as soon as you can.

[mamaof5boys]

My son had the exact same issue about a year ago. He fell into a cupboard and his tooth went right through the skin- not too much but it was bleeding like crazy and looked horrible!! I though for sure they would do stitches when I brought him to the ER, but they looked at it and said that they usually never do stitches on the inside of mouths because they heal so quickly on their own. They thought about gluing the outside of the skin, because his tooth did go all the way through, but it ended up not being bad enough to need anything.

My DS was a trooper, sat very still and let them work on him. They did end up numbing him cause they thought he may need stitches on the outside so that was really all they did. It was just a topical ointment.

So basically now I know that for inside mouth wounds it's best to leave it be! Hope that helps mama!!

[calebsmommy25]

Thanks for the responses!! It wasn't as bad as I thought it was...I wrote this in a panic as soon as I got home and cleaned him up. The cut is not actually inside his lip. It is on top of his bottom lip and on the outside of his lip. He just has a big fat lip and a cut on the bottom. His tooth may not have gone through, but I'm thinking he just bit both sides really, really hard. There was so much blood!!

Again, thanks for the responses. He cried for 10-15 minutes...I've been on the verge of tears all day/night!!

[mbravebird]

This happened to me when I was a wee one (jumping off a swing). I do believe they just let it heal. Sounds like you're already feeling better about it, but I just thought I'd add my story.

I still have a tiny scar from it. I loved that scar when I was a kid.

[ameliabedelia]

Aww...I hope your son feels better soon!.

If you are worried about infection, raw honey (it must be raw) is anti-bacterial and would be something totally safe to put on his lip (and he might even like it).

[lyterae]

Originally Posted by calebsmommy25

Thanks for the responses!! It wasn't as bad as I thought it was...I wrote this in a panic as soon as I got home and cleaned him up. The cut is not actually inside his lip. It is on top of his bottom lip and on the outside of his lip. He just has a big fat lip and a cut on the bottom. His tooth may not have gone through, but I'm thinking he just bit both sides really, really hard. There was so much blood!!

Again, thanks for the responses. He cried for 10-15 minutes...I've been on the verge of tears all day/night!!

DD did this last year, there was initially a lot of blood but she had apparently not gone all the way through. We ended up taking her to the dentist because her front teeth were bruised as a result and we wanted to make sure the nerves were okay.

ETA: for you mama, I hope you're feeling better.

[sg784]

My DS has done this. Twice. i was worried about infection too but it did fine. Just kept it relatively clean. He has two little scars now.

[calebsmommy25]

Thanks again for the responses. His lip is looking even better. Keeping an eye on it and keeping it clean. It is so hard being a parent of a fearless daredevil!