2 year old son lost front tooth - do we just wait for the adult tooth to grow in about 4 years?

Alice - posted on 02/21/2009

Go see your dentist for all the up to date advice and get your sons gums and other checked while your there :)

Tanya - posted on 02/21/2009

Dentists won't normally offer anything to fix this other than advice. For small children about the only thing you can do is wait for the new tooth! The speech thing should rectify itself when the new tooth arrives! If not try working with the child to get them to not put their tongue into the empty space when talking, try to encourage them to place it at the bottom of the upper teeth! It has been known that some kids that have an early tooth loss have grown in another tooth (not an adult one) to replace the lost one! My daughter did, it took a few months but another one grew in and then that one fell out at the normal time and her adult one took it's place soon after!!

Barbara - posted on 02/21/2009

my lil girl fall and lost her front tooth she was 18 months she is four now and it still aint there hun but wen i have spoke to the dentist he told me not to worry it will come through in time :D

Camilla - posted on 02/21/2009

hello erin.

i work in a daycare, there we have a boy that knocked out his, and his parents took him to the dentis to sew the thooth in again. i don't think its pretty at all. couse its not strait any more. and its a bit loose,so every time he falles we have to chec up the thoot. and it have moved because of falling... and as i see his adult theeth will not grov strait because of the other thoot...

what i would have done is to leav the kid without one thoot for some years... atleast it wouldent hurt the adult one

Maureen - posted on 02/21/2009

Both my daughter and son lost a front tooth when they were two. My daughter had her tooth chipped to the nerve. I took her to the dentist and it was pulled immediately. No other damage was done. We just have to wait for her adult tooth. My son was able to keep his for almost a year after hitting falling from a tree. His tooth was pulled only after it was going absyss. Neither of my kids seem to have their speech affected. We just have to wait. As they have gotten older (now 4and 5) the gap is less noticable.

Linda - posted on 02/20/2009

My son fell through the bleachers in a gymnasium when he was two years old and landed on his face. He knocked out one of his teeth. Had a gap for the next 4 or 5 years until his permanent tooth came in. It gave him character. I don't remember it ever affecting his speech.

Cherie - posted on 02/20/2009

my four year old fell on his two front teeth and we had to have them pulled. after a while the teeth started to turn grey. they were causing absecos(sp) on his adult teeth that were going to be comeing in. he now has two missing front teeth and we have to wait for the adult teeth to come in on their own. he has adjusted well. make sure you take him to a dentist to see if there is any infection in the other tooth. my son didnt knock the loose he just hit them.

Danielle - posted on 02/20/2009

Ouch! That happened to me when I was 18 months old and it was the tooth just to the left of my top front teeth. Unfortunately for me and maybe your son mine did not grow back until the adult one was supposed to come in (about 8 years old for my tooth) however he will probably get past the slurring of his speech fairly quickly once he gets used to there not being a tooth there. I know the only problem it caused me was trying to explain why every picture of me from 18 months to 8 years old I was missing the same tooth. If you are really worried see a dentist and they may have a solution for you. 

Michele - posted on 02/20/2009

I would see a dentist and get thier opinion.

Emily - posted on 02/20/2009

My oldest is now almost 6 and he got his front tooth pulled out when he was 3 cause of too much trama to it and ya we just had to waut it out I think I noticed a difference in the begining but I just  worked with him more on saying certin words that he had trouble with and now it still is not in but I cant tell too much anymore

User - posted on 02/20/2009

Hi I worked as a dental nurse for 7yrs my first advise would be to take him to the dentist asap, if you ring around you can find one who is likes working with young children. You'll need to have his other teeth checked aswell as they can look ok but have cracks under the gum line or only visible with the correct light. Damage to baby teeth can cause problems with the adult teeth so get him checked out.



My opinion and experience is that missing front teeth are left alone, back ones can have spacers put in to preserve the gap for the adult tooth but have never seen this done in the front. When teeth are broken they can sometimes be difficult to fix and fillings fall out so they end up decaying and eventually removed these gaps are also left just the way they are.

As your son i so young the dentist may try to come up with a solution for the gap.

User - posted on 02/20/2009

Quoting Erin:

2 year old son lost front tooth - do we just wait for the adult tooth to grow in about 4 years?

My son will be 3 in early May. Last Sunday he fell and literally knocked his front tooth out. Luckily he did not loosen any other teeth, bite his lip or tongue or cause any damage to his adult teeth. My question is does he really have to go without a front tooth until the adult tooth grows in about 4 years or so? I think I notice his speech is a bit more slurred, but maybe I am imagining that. Does anyone have any experience with this happening to their child? I saw on a few other posts that broken teeth are 'fixed' in toddlers, but what about no tooth at all? Thanks for your help!

Have you taken him to see a dentist? Im a dental assistant and usually with teeth that are lost to early for whatever reason just need to be monitored, and sometimes depending on what tooth was lost a space maintainer will be placed to make sure that the space for the adult tooth isn't lost.

Erin - posted on 02/20/2009

I took him to children's dentist and he said to wait until the adult tooth grew in.  I just wanted to see if there were any other moms/dads who went through the same thing!  Thanks Corrie!

User - posted on 02/20/2009

I think they make spacers so the space doesn't close up. You will have to see a dentist to find out what can be done.

Corrie - posted on 02/20/2009

I haven't experienced this personally with my kids, but I remember it happening to my younger brother.    He had a little gap for a while and then his adult teeth grew in and it was fine.  He didn't even need braces, whereas the rest of us did.  It's probably okay, but I'm sure you could call your pediatrician or a pediatric dentist and they could give you a better answer.