What to do: 14 month old with a chipped tooth?

[northerngirl]

Just noticed today that dd2 14 months top front tooth is chipped a bit on the bottom. Some of her other 8 teeth appear to be clear around the edges. What can I do to help this not progress into anything worse? Should she see the dentist?

We do brush her teeth 1x day with spry tooth gel and try to wipe her teeth with a cloth after eating. She does nurse at night.

We are free of gluten, corn, dairy, soy, nightshades, peanuts, citrus, coffee, plus. She does not have any known allergens, but is intolerant to some foods. She also has very dry cheeks that may be a form of exzema, can't figure out what's causing it though.

Any help would be appreciated.

[CheriK]

Chipped front teeth are very common when toddlers are learning to walk.  If it's not bothering your DD and you don't notice any discoloration or gum inflammation, just watching it is fine.   

My DD1 did this at around a year, we did see my dentist because when she nursed the rough point HURT, and had it ground down to smooth.  My dentist was so amazed that this tiny 1 year old sat still in the chair and let her grind down the tooth without moving.  It was fine until she was just about 2, when it started turning black and at about 2 1/2 the gum became bright red & inflammed, which concerned me that it was developing an abscess.  She ended up having it extracted, which was much more stressful for me than for her.  We found a local dentist who would work with little kids w/out general anesthesial.

[34me]

My now 12 yo broke both his top front teeth at about 18 months.  I was nervouse so took him to the dentist and he just made sure he did no obvious damage.  They stayed absolutely healthy until he got his adult teeth.  Then he broke those off two years later.

[northerngirl]

Thanks for the replies! We do have an appointment with a pediatric dentist this Wednesday. I contacted our ped an questioned why and was it because I am and have not been eating dairy, amongst a bunch of other foods. She thought that dd was going to be fine, but to have it checked by the dentist.

However, my insurance doesn't have a ped dentist on their "list", so we will be paying out of pocket. Even with a referral from our regular dentist. SO under my insurance if you are under the age of 3 (which is when my dentist begins seeing kids) you have no dental care. Venting sorry.

[CheriK]

Hmm.  Does your insurance claim to cover the kids from birth?  If it does and there are no dentists on their "list" who will see under 3, then I think they have to pay for you to go out-of-network. Do you have a grievance counselor or an insurance manager who you could discuss this with (our insurance is through DH's work and his employer has someone who will help w/ issues such as this)?

[northerngirl]

Originally Posted by CheriK 

Hmm.  Does your insurance claim to cover the kids from birth?  If it does and there are no dentists on their "list" who will see under 3, then I think they have to pay for you to go out-of-network. Do you have a grievance counselor or an insurance manager who you could discuss this with (our insurance is through DH's work and his employer has someone who will help w/ issues such as this)?

Yes, my insurance covers from birth. But the dental care is "preventative". So we get cleanings, exams, xrays, and sealants. If dd were to go in and get her one tooth looked at, then that is not "preventative", but "emergency". And we have a supplemental dental insurance that covers a percentage of fillings, crowns, ect.

When I talked to my dentist's insurance lady she said that many people will get caught between the two insurances, in that neither will cover.

That the supplemental doesn't cover "exams" or preventative. And the other is saying it's emergency.

When I was speaking to my insurance, I ended up hanging up on the lady (yes mature) because she just kept saying the same thing and I was like so my 14 month old has no dental coverage! I was very frustrated. Now tomorrow I will pay out of pocket to have her tooth looked at. Hopefully it will be fine and it will be peace of mind for $44.

Looking into giving her cell salts....

[northerngirl]

Dd had her dentist appointment yesterday and it went well. He was not concerned about the tooth, as it was a pretty small chip. He did remark how well it looked like we were taking care of her teeth and that many people who come to him have kids with teeth in pretty bad shape.

So I felt like I am doing something right.
Then he proceeded to tell me that babies need to be weaned at 1 year of age and that I should seriously consider weaning her. Um...no.

She should be eating all solids by now at 14 month. Also, that breast milk is high in sugar and this will lead to decay and she should just drink water.

When the assistant interviewed me in the beginning she looked a bit shocked when I said I was still night nursing. She said I should brush after every night nursing. Um yeah that's not going to happen.

[earthymato2]

wow, i was just about to post this exact question about my 1 y/o.  he grinds his teeth constantly and i'm wondering if that's related.  i was also curious if the healing with nutrition was worth trying?  hope your little one's tooth is ok :)