Enamel fracture on a baby tooth?

[dopeysgem]

9 year old bit into the head of a large, thick Hershey milk chocolate bunny. Heard a crack. Several hours later at bed time mentioned his tooth kind of hurt. Took a look and found what appears to be a fracture on the bottom molar, second from the back.

He is a heavy grinder. His enamel has a lot of wear and tear and he wears a mouthguard at night. This is a baby tooth.

Can anyone share what this looks like? What we should expect his Dentist to recommend for treatment? Can treatment wait until four days when the office opens or is this an ER type of situation? We brushed his teeth without pain. He ate his entire dinner without pain. Just casually mentioned he’s having some pain right before bed.

Hoping they recommend a small filling as this tooth should fall out within the next year or so anyway. Worried he might need a root canal….

Thanks!

 

[Dr M]

Would still need an x-ray to definitely rule out any nerve damage, but from the photo it seems like he might only need a filling to cover up the dentin.

 

[MattKW]

I wouldn't bother fixing it unless he was having pain. A bitewing Xray would show how far away the replacement permanent tooth is from erupting.

 

[dental_care]

An enamel fracture on a baby tooth is usually just a small chip and often not serious. A dentist may smooth it or place a small filling if needed.

Still, it’s best to get it checked to make sure there’s no deeper damage or risk to the developing permanent tooth underneath.