Ask a Hygienist

Welcome to Ask a Hygienist, a project developed by Kern County Children’s Dental Health Network for parents to answer questions about dental hygiene care for children ages 0-5 or the role of a dental hygienist.

Susan McCracken , RDHAP , worked as a dental assistant prior to becoming a dental hygienist 11 years ago. She worked in private practice as an RDH before coming to KCCDHN five years ago. She holds and AA degree in liberal arts from Taft College and an AS degree with a certificate in Dental Hygiene, also from Taft College. She earned her AP license from West LA College in 2004. In addition to working for KCCDHN, Susan is also a part-time clinical instructor at Taft College.

1. Question: My 3 and a half year old daughter took a fall 2 weeks ago and hurt her teeth.  At first part of the gum above her front milk tooth was bruised but the tooth remained firmly in place.  His front tooth now shows a clear sign of discoloration which I think has been gradually building up since the day of the accident and is now quite visible.  What does this mean? How does this effect the remaining duration of the milk tooth and subsequently her permanent tooth?
 
Answer: The discoloration probably means that the nerve of the tooth has died, which can happen after trauma to the tooth from a bump, or fall.  Inside all of our teeth are chambers that have living blood vessels and nerves.  Trauma to the tooth can cause the tissue inside to become necrotic, or non-vital, which causes the discoloration.    Since it is now non-living, or non-vital, it can also become more brittle, and can crack or break easier.  It may also become infected (abscess), and can become quite painful.

Whenever there is trauma to the tooth, it is a good idea to have your dental professional take an x-ray of the tooth to make sure that no damage has been done to the permanent tooth.  When a tooth has been hit, as from a fall, the root of the primary tooth may have been forced against the developing tooth bud of the permanent tooth.  Without an x-ray, there is no way to tell whether the permanent tooth has had any damage or not, or the extent of the damage to either tooth.  

Your dental professional my want to "watch" it; that is, simply check it periodically for infection.  Or, if there has been some trauma to the permanent tooth, then extraction of the primary tooth may be advised.  The sooner you get her in, the better the dentist will be able to arrest or prevent permanent tooth damage.

Again, I am encouraging you to seek the advice of your dental professional.  Because your daughter is so young, I would recommend she see a pediatric dentist who specializes in treating young children.

arrow: Visit answers to previous questions regarding:

  • Yellow discoloration teeth
  • Child not losing baby teeth
  • Using sippy cups
  • How long does it take for teeth to erupt
  • What is a dental hygienist
  • Importance of teating decay in baby teeth
  • When should you first take child to dentist
  • How prepare child for a trip to the dentist
  • Discolored teeth
  • What is a sealant
  • Vitamins with fluoride
  • What is the link between diet and decay
  • What age should you teach a child to brush or floss his/her own teeth

    The KCCDHN program is funded by First 5 Kern and services are provided to children ages 0-5. For more information or if you have a question regarding a child age 0 to 5 years of age, please e-mail Susan McCracken, RDHAP.

    Ask a Hygienist is a Kern County Childrens Dental Health Network informational program designed to provide general information on a variety of dental topics. All material appearing on the Ask a Hygienist page is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to take the place of your personal dentist or health care provider. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for personal, medical and/or dental attention or diagnosis. Without all available information about a patient it is impossible to make a diagnosis. Should your child have a dental problem, always consult your own dentist for diagnosis and treatment. Kern County Childrens Dental Health Network makes no warranty of any kind with respect to the subject matter and answers given as a response to a question. Only you as a parent, your childs dentist and health care provider can make an appropriate treatment decision.

    Submitting a question via this website means that you also agree to the posting of your question/answer on this site. At no time will your e-mail address be revealed, nor your full name.


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