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Conference moira::parenting_v3

Title:	Parenting
Notice:	READ 1.27 BEFORE WRITING
Moderator:	CSC32::DUBOIS

Created:	Wed May 30 1990
Last Modified:	Tue May 27 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1364
Total number of notes:	23848

42.0. "Teeth Injury @ 9+ months" by HPSCAD::DJENSEN () Wed Jun 20 1990 13:08

    
    Well, here I thought JA's first major injury would be a broken
    collarbone, but she did one better - she smashed her two top front
    teeth!
    
    I was unpacking groceries and she was chasing the dog with an
    inflatible beach ball (around the kitchen).  She was mostly crawling,
    sitting up and then crawling ... tossing and rolling the beach ball
    "at" the dog and then she'd fetch the ball, etc. ... when all of a
    sudden, from a SITTING -> CRAWLING position, she lurged forward (must
    have lost her balance) and came down hard on her chin.
    
    I knew it was serious because it was a hard hit, followed by total
    silence, followed by a horrible scream, followed by hard crying and
    holding her breath.  I grabbed her immediately and knew she did some
    damage because she was bleeding quite hard from her mouth and chin
    area.  I grabbed a washcloth, ran it under cold water and put it in her
    mouth ... held her in a tight hug and headed for the rocking chair.
    She calmed down within 5 minutes  (of course, she then got the hiccups 
    from crying so hard and WANTED to be "held and cuddled").
    
    I felt so TERRIBLE ... why do us parents always want to blame
    ourselves!  Like maybe she shouldn't have had the beach ball in the
    kitchen, maybe she shouldn't have been allowed to chase the dog, maybe
    ... maybe ... maybe ...   I felt so guilty!  Jim kept assuring me that
    it was OK and not my fault at all, but I still feel guilty TODAY!
    
    Once she calmed down and let me check out the damage, it was her top
    front teeth and a split lower lip.  Lots of bleeding around the gums of
    the teeth, her top two front teeth were loose, and she kept 
    putting her fingers in her mouth (to the source of pain!).  I called 
    the Pedi (of course this always happens "after hours"!), who 
    then recommended we contact our dentist immediately.
    
    I reached our dentist at home  (first time I've ever had to do that!)
    and he said:
    
    .  there's not much they can do for "baby teeth"
    .  Mother Nature allows for their "youthful endeavors" by starting
       out with wider root canals and soft teeth/gums
    .  of most concern IS the risk of root damage, absess or gum infection
    .  watch her gums very carefully for pimples, swelling, redness, etc.
    .  she may not want to eat - that's OK
    .  she may not be able to suck on the bottle (use a training cup) --
       but get fluids in her
    .  use Baby Tylenol and a cold washcloth for "some" relief
    .  since there's not much a dentist can do for children under 3, our
       dentist does NOT charge for dental work of children under 3 (of his
       patients)
    .  if there is a serious injury (absess, infection, teeth pushed out
       of alignment, etc.), then he refers "youngsters" to a Pedi-dentist
       (as they have the personalities, tools, chairs, medication, etc.
       for JUST these Little-People - usually in distress!)
    
    Of course, JA got LOTS of hugs, cuddles, kisses and attention from both
    Mommy and Daddy -- all the way up to bedtime!  She ate, took a couple
    bottles and slept through the night ... so those are good signs.
    
    Jim "just happens" to have a dental cleaning scheduled for tomorrow, so
    he's taking JA with him for a short checkup (and my Mom will join them
    and babysit while Jim finishes his appointment).
    
    Dentist said he's seen a few "worse cases" ... one whereby the kid
    literally knocked her teeth to an under-bite position (and they had to be
    realigned) and another kid knocked her teeth back up under the gums
    (and in time, they did reappear!).  He said VERY few infant/toddler 
    injuries end up resulting in dental work -- but unfortunately, "some" 
    do.
    
    Poor JA!
    
    Dottie

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
42.1	Poor Baby!!	BTOVT::HOGAN_M		`Wed Jun 20 1990 15:16`	14
	Dottie, I'm so sorry about JA's accident! Just to let you know, there are many happy endings to worries about tooth accidents... My brother, at about 3 or 4 years old, was standing in back of my mother as she was in a rocking chair and she somehow stood up or rocked and his mouth was on top! His two front teeth were driven up into his gums! As in your case, there really wasn't anything for the dentist to do but tell us to wait and months later they came back down, pretty greyed though. THE GOOD NEWS is that when his permanent teeth came in (in the normal course of time) they were, and are, BEAUTIFUL BIG NORMAL TEETH!! Phew!!!! Good luck to JA, hope she's feeling better!!!!
42.2		SHARE::SATOW		`Wed Jun 20 1990 16:12`	22
42.3	Don't forget the dental insurance!	HPSCAD::DJENSEN		`Wed Jun 20 1990 16:13`	17
	Words of wisdom to all you "new parents" ... When your baby's born and you're adding dependent coverage ... don't forget to think about the timeframe between "now" and "open enrollment" and the "next" open enrollment. We just learned THE HARD WAY! JA was born in Sept - no teeth - no dental insurance December - open enrollment - no teeth - no dental insurance June - 9 months old and first tooth injury - no dental insurance AND can't get any for another 6 months!!! Just a thought! Dottie
42.4		KAOFS::S_BROOK	Here today and here again tomorrow	`Wed Jun 20 1990 18:20`	11
	In the UK and Canada, many Medical based policies cover treatment for dental work which occurs due to an accident, such as JA had. The coverage is usually limited to examination and stabilization of the situation ... ie short term care like temporary fillings in case of exposed nerves, or extraction. Basically sufficient dental work to stop the pain ... but nothing for fixing bite or appearance etc. You might want to check your policies for this kind of coverage. As I mentioned, it only applies to accidental dental damage. Stuart
42.5	Save Tooth in MILK and Go to Dentist	CSC32::DUBOIS	The early bird gets worms	`Wed Jun 20 1990 18:40`	20
	This seems a good time to mention that if a tooth is knocked out, save the tooth and get to the dentist's right away. Putting the tooth in liquid helps the chance that it might be able to be put back. MILK is an excellent liquid for this! Another good way to store the tooth, even better than milk, is to put the tooth in the mouth, BUT you need to be sure that whoever's mouth the tooth is in won't accidentally swallow the tooth! This is important to do even for baby teeth if knocked out by accident. I seem to remember that if a tooth is knocked out prematurely that the other teeth can move into that position and it can be hard for the permanent teeth later. (I'm not positive about that, but if I am wrong then at least you aren't any worse off!). Dottie, I'm so glad that JA seems okay. That would scare me half to death, and I never even thought about coverage for a child before age 3 or so, when their first "normal" checkup would be! Thank you for entering this! Carol
42.6	right	TLE::RANDALL	living on another planet	`Wed Jun 20 1990 18:49`	15
	>This is important to do even for baby teeth if knocked out by accident. >I seem to remember that if a tooth is knocked out prematurely that the >other teeth can move into that position and it can be hard for the >permanent teeth later. (I'm not positive about that, but if I am wrong >then at least you aren't any worse off!). Yes, this is true. My best friend in school went through several years of difficult orthodontia to correct the problems when she knocked out a baby tooth when she fell off her trike. This was 30 years ago in the days before microsurgery, so replacing the baby tooth at the time of the accident wasn't an option. --bonnie
42.7	Seen that one before...	STAR::MACKAY	C'est la vie!	`Wed Jun 20 1990 21:01`	17
	My daughter fell in the playground on top of another kid. Oneof her front tooth was pushed up and her gum was cut. This happened a few months ago, she was 4. We took her to the dentist (pedi-dentist) right away. They took Xray to make sure the second set of teeth was not hurt, since they are right above the first set. The tooth is staying in, but has turned grey because of nerve damage. Also, the dentisit prescribed anti-biotics for the cut. The gum had to be cleaned twice a day with peroxide until it is completely healed. She still has the scar. She went back 2 weeks later for more Xray. She can eat normally now even the tooth is a little crooked! You may want to call up a pedi-dentist and see if there is anything you should do to help the healing of the gum. I hope JA feels better soon. Eva.
42.8	Kevin did it twice!!	WONDER::MAKRIANIS	Patty	`Wed Jun 20 1990 21:16`	15
	This happened to my friend's nephew TWICE!! Kevin was running across the kitchen fell and knocked out one of his front teeth. His mother grabbed him and the tooth and rushed to the dentist. The dentist put the tooth back in and it took. Well, sometime after that Kevin ran across the kitchen, fell and knocked out the other front tooth!! His mother got so pissed that he could actually do the same thing twice, that she took the tooth and put it back in herself. She did go to the dentist, but he didn't have to do anything. One of his teeth (can't remember which one) has grayed a little due to nerve damage, but they're both holding one fine. One thing the dentist did tell her was not to wash the tooth as it removes the tiny fibers that help it reconnect with the gum. Patty
42.9	Timing is important	HPSRAD::LINDSEY		`Wed Jun 20 1990 23:26`	21
	There's an article, I believe in Parents magazine this month about what to do if a tooth gets knocked out. The most important thing is to get it in water (mild salt solution - I think) or milk or like someone else said, in your mouth - (stuck on the side of your cheek). Of vital importance was timing. You needed to get to the dentist in the first hour or two of the incident. As time goes on the chance of the tooth "taking" goes from something like 97% to 20% (or something dramatic like that). Sorry I can't remember the exact figures. Also - concerning medical/dental coverage - you have 30 days from the childs birth to add them without waiting for open enrollment (same for life insurance). I put Katie on all that stuff shortly after she was born. I don't know policy about adopted children, seems to me its a change in family status and they should be able to be placed under coverage as soon as they become part of your family. Sue
42.10	Yes, you get FULL benefits for "pending adoption" kids.	HPSCAD::DJENSEN		`Thu Jun 21 1990 13:25`	49
	42.9 Sue: Yes, with adoption we had FULL benefits offered to us from "the day of placement" (5 days after birth). Our PSA said it was because Julianne was "pending adoption proceedings" (and under a Foster Care Agreement during the interium). But we were so excited at that time, that when we went to add "everything" (medical, life and dental), it was "mentioned" that most parents don't add dental until the child is 2 years of age. So ... we didn't give it any more thought that that! Also, I understand a "few" HMO's offer dental to tykes (especially if it was an "accident") -- ours doesn't. So yeah, now we're stuck until open enrollment rolls around again ... in 6 more months! Luckily, our dentist provides free services to children under 3 (of his patients), HOWEVER, if JA needs to see a Pedi-dentist ... Uhhh-huh, we get to pay! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that our dentist can get her through this (Jim took her this morning for a 9 am appointment). Our dentist did offer to see her "immediately", but her teeth weren't totally knocked out ... just loose and the bleeding stopped. So the dentist said he'd probably have to give it "time" to see just what (if anything) develops. He also gave me a long list of "things" to watch for and to contact him immediately if any of those conditions develop. Also, since it was an accident, our Pediatrician is also involved and can probably do the "prescribing" (so at least the medicine is covered). But you know, the $$$'s are NOTHING compared to saving her teeth! Thanks for all your help ... I'll keep you posted, as I'll know more later today. Dottie PS: They are doing some great things today to save kid's teeth -- my nephew snapped his front tooth is half playing softball and they bonded it and you'd never know (but bottom line is it still isn't REALLY "HIS" tooth anymore! I also know of two boys who had their front teeth knocked completely out playing baseball and one was a success story and one wasn't - both saw dentists immediately.