August 10, 2014 - Page 2 of 2 - Life with Gremlins

Child Broke, Cracked or Chipped Tooth: What to Do

It seems a universal law that anytime my kids get hurt, it happens on a weekend or after hours–and that includes things like falling on their face and breaking a tooth. As a mom of four very rambunctious kids, I’ve sadly now dealt with more than one chipped or broken tooth. Here’s a quick overview of what to do if it happens to you:

Alright, so your kid has just slipped, fallen, or had something flung at his/her face and blood is everywhere, what do you do?

First, take at least a moment to breathe, try your best to stay calm and not freak out. Then, start cleaning away blood and identify the source, as this article is about tooth injuries in kids, let’s assume it’s in the mouth. Chances are you’ll find the actual wound is far less severe than the blood level suggests. Head and mouth wounds always bleed a lot.

Apply pressure:

Once you’ve found the source, apply pressure to help stop the bleeding. Luckily, mouth wounds typically stop bleeding fairly quickly (often within about 20 minutes), though blood may be present in drool for a few hours. While you’re applying pressure and offering hugs and cuddles, give the rest of your child’s head a quick look. Chipped and broken teeth are often the result of falls, and there may be other injuries as well.

Evaluate the situation:

Keep in mind that your child’s gums are going to be puffy and swollen which can make things appear worse than they are. For example, the broken tooth may look like it’s at the gum line even if it’s just broken in half. Many dentists recommend that you wait until the swelling resides before trying to assess the situation. Offering anti-inflammatory pain relievers such as Motrin or Ibuprofen can help your child feel more comfortable and bring the swelling down.

If there are no other injuries outside of the broken or chipped tooth, and the injury isn’t severe, don’t bother with the ER. They can’t do anything but offer pain relief until a dentist is available anyway. If the tooth was an adult tooth, and entirely knocked out, try to find it, place it in milk, and call an after-hours dentist. In some cases, a knocked-out tooth can be put back in. Offer fluids, but be careful of cold/hot options. If the nerve of the tooth is exposed, this may cause pain. Opt for soft foods until you can get a dental appointment. You may also want to watch for signs of a concussion, depending on how the tooth was chipped or broken.

What will the dentist do?

If your child has only chipped the tooth a bit, chances are it will be filed smooth and sealed. For larger chips or fractures, the tooth may be capped or a white filling attached. If it’s a baby tooth and could affect the growth of the permanent teeth under the surface, it may be pulled. A dentist evaluation is necessary in any case.

Caring for a Toddler with Mouth Sores: A List of Foods and More

Hand, foot and mouth disease was something I had never even heard of. When my toddler suddenly had small pimple-like sores on his butt, I assumed it was just some sort of yeast-based diaper rash or another bane of his eczema. Later, when he complained his tongue hurt, and I found a mouth sore, I assumed he had a canker sore. On both counts I was wrong. My toddler had hand, foot, and mouth disease. Despite being called a “disease,” hand, foot and mouth is actually just a common childhood virus.

While symptoms may vary, I learned when my second toddler began showing signs of this highly-contagious virus you’ll likely see red spots or fluid filled blisters on the hands, feet, and mouth — hence the name. A toddler with mouth sores from the virus will experience raw, painful marks much like canker sores.

Toddlers and infants also often get sores on their butts in the diaper region. Fever, irritability, loss of appetite, and fatigue are other common symptoms. Hand, foot and mouth is contagious only when sores are present and active, meaning they haven’t burst or begun to heal. Much like chicken pox, hand, foot, and mouth is generally a one-time type virus. As there are a few different strains, you can get it more than once, but never from the same strain.

Sadly, because hand, foot, and mouth is caused by a virus, it can’t be treated with medication directly. All you can do is treat the symptoms. The virus generally resolves itself in seven to ten days. However, even seven to ten days can be a long time with a whiny toddler with mouth sores who is in pain and may or may not be able to eat or drink comfortably. Fever and discomfort can benefit from a bit of Tylenol or ibuprofen, but the biggest issue I had was trying to find things my toddler could eat. This is what I learned…

Things to avoid for a toddler with mouth sores:

-Bottles: The sucking motion can be quite painful. On the upside, I used this opportunity to wean my toddler off the bottle at bedtime. Soft-nippled sippy cups seem to be OK.

-Spicy or acidic foods: If you’ve ever had a canker sore you can relate; acidic food in particular, such as citrus, is not recommended.

-Chewy or crunchy foods: Chewy foods tend to stick to the teeth, mingle with saliva and aggravate every sore in your toddler’s mouth. My toddler was particularly annoyed that eating candy hurt. Crunchy foods can scrape against sores causing bleeding or at the least, more pain.

Foods that are good for a toddler with mouth sores:

You want to aim for soft, easy-to-swallow foods that are neutral or base in nature. Dairy-based foods, for instance, are almost always neutral or base. Cold foods can also be very soothing. Here are some ideas to give you an idea of what works:

-Ice cream or Popsicles
-Yogurt or cottage cheese
-Jello or pudding
-Apple sauce
-Mashed potatoes
-Oatmeal
-Clam chowder
-Chicken or beef vegetable soup (do not use a tomato base)
-Seafood or chicken Alfredo, or any white-sauced pasta for that matter
-Macaroni and cheese

In the event your child’s mouth hurts so badly they simply won’t eat, push water. Dehydration is one of the biggest risks of hand, foot, and mouth and other conditions that cause mouth sores. I found my toddler handled milk well during the short period he wouldn’t eat. You can opt for Pediasure dietary supplements if your child will drink milk. They have a touch more sugar, so you may have to dilute them with regular milk, but they can help fill dietary holes from not being able to eat. Ovaltine or other milk-mix-ins may be another option to add some calories. Rest assured that your child won’t die or become skin and bones from a dramatically decreased diet a few days. As long as he or she is getting liquids and peeing regularly, everything should be fine.

Feel free to add your suggestions for a toddler with mouth sores in comment.

You also might want to give this little known complication of hand, foot, and mouth a read, I was pretty freaked out when my kid’s finger and toenails started falling off.

7 Things I Want My Kids to Know

Above all live with honor.

Honor isn’t something that belongs in fairy tales and books. It’s not a knight’s code in a silly sci-fi movie. Honor is doing what you know to be right even if everyone else is telling you it’s wrong. Honor is standing up for the little things in life no matter how small. It’s being strong even when you’re scared and always telling the truth even if it hurts. Honor is your heart, always follow it.

Never assume you know everything.

As long as you live you’ll never know everything worth knowing so never stop looking and learning. When you’re young the popular crowd may put up the perception that to be intelligent and care is nerdy or stupid, but someday they’ll regret it. Even the smallest decisions you make in life have the power to change everything. Be humble, seek wisdom, and never treat others in a way you wouldn’t wish to be treated.

Everyone has a lesson to teach.

There will be people in your life that you view as fools, remember that for every person there is someone else that thinks them foolish. You too are a fool if you fail to learn something from everyone whether they intentionally offer that lesson or not. Don’t ignore the opinions of young or old based on age, ugly or beautiful based on aesthetics, powerful or poor based on status. Under our chosen clothes and genetic skins we’re all just human.

Recognize that value isn’t monetary.

It’s easy to get caught up in money and status symbols, but when the world is dust and bones none of that will matter. Value the things in life that make you happy, let the things you need make you happiest, and your joy will always out shine your sorrow. Know that without sorrow you couldn’t know joy-embrace both to find equilibrium in your existence.

Nothing lasts forever.

Don’t hold grudges you wouldn’t take to the grave, because you might. The only thing you have to do in this life is die, the rest is choice so choose wisely, love truly, and don’t take advantage of the time you have and share with others.

Don’t forget where you stand.

The earth is our most precious resource. Don’t forget that your home is bigger than the stick construct you own or seek to own. If you expect it to last until the end of your residency, you better take care of it.

Someone loves you.

Finally, when your honor hazily fogs into arrogance and risk floats by in its wind, remember that someplace there is somebody who loves you; somebody that would suffer your loss. Take risk with caution, but don’t be so cautious as not to live.