Tag Archives: Phoenix Pediatric Dentist

My son’s tooth is turning gray

My  4 year old son was playing Thor. I should have known something was up when he started spinning his Thor hammer. The next thing I knew he was flying across the living room and banged his mouth pretty hard on some furniture. He bled a lot, which I know is pretty common for a mouth injury. What is concerning me is now his tooth is turning gray. Do I need to take him to a dentist? Our dentist is on vacation. If so, do I need to take him to the hospital?

Farrah L – San Francisco

Farrah,

It is good you kept a clear head when his mouth was bleeding. Many parents panic when that happens. I can picture your son flying across the room.  To be honest, you probably have more cause to fear him playing Hulk and destroying your furniture than you do to worry about this.

Unless your son starts complaining, you have nothing further to do. The tooth will eventually fall out anyway.  If, however, your son starts saying it hurts, or you see signs of swelling or an abscess, that is when you need to see a dentist right away. It is likely your son will then need to have a root canal procedure.

If that happens and you can’t reach your dentist, you can go to an emergency dentist. There won’t be a need to go to the emergency room and, to be honest, they won’t treat a dental issue anyway. Make sure the emergency dentist enjoys treating children, so your son will have a better experience.

If your son is not a complainer, you may want to keep an eye out for him avoiding using the injured tooth. That is a sign it bothers him, but he’s not saying anything.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Kevin Peck.