My son and I were playing with his wooden swords. Not only was I soundly defeated, but I believe my front tooth was the biggest loser. I can now wiggle my front tooth. I’m terrified it’s going to fall out. What do I do?

Janelle O. – Massachusetts

Janelle,

Motherhood can be rough sometimes. You’re a cook, a chauffeur, a teacher, a counselor, a nurse, and…..a swordfighter.  Or, in your case….victim.

The first thing I want you to do is stop moving the tooth. If you continue wiggling it, you will increase the likelihood of losing it. It sounds like the ligaments are stretched.  What you don’t want is for them to snap.

I would consider this an emergency dental situation. If you don’t have a regular dentist that can get you in on short notice, do a Google search for “emergency dentist” and go to a decent one in your area.

They’ll need to stabilize your tooth. He may bond it to an adjacent tooth or splint it. There are several methods. If it’s just a minor sprain to the ligament, it should heal on its own.  But, there could be other issues as well when we’re dealing with tooth trauma.

He’ll also need to check that there’s no damage to the pulp of the tooth. If there is, don’t panic. A root canal will take care of that issue.

Bottom line–get seen as quickly as possible. You may also want to invest in some sword fighting lessons as well.

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