5.5.11: Cracked tooth

In the afternoon, we went to a warehouse sale in Kota Damansara but there weren't many people there. The goods were displayed on the metal racks, like the usual white ones you find in the shopping centre. The boys were laughing and playing with each other. Suddenly, there was a crash and E started crying. I looked at his face but there was no bruise or any red marks. I wasn't sure what happened.

He stopped crying after a short while and after that, we went home. He drank some milk and ate noodles for lunch. After that, he went to sleep. When he got up, he played with toys and everything seemed as usual. In the evening, he asked for an apple, but then when he tried to eat, he said his teeth was painful. Then he refused to eat dinner or drink milk.

Only at night, 8 hours after the incident, I noticed that one of his top front tooth had 3 black lines. They were crack lines. His teeth had cracked into 3 parts, like a letter Y starting from the gum. No wonder he felt pain when eating, yet he didn't show it. He was playing happily. 

Upon reflection, I think what had happened was he was laughing and had bumped into the metal rack, which was why his face or lips wasn't bruised. Unfortunately, the metal rack was the height of his teeth / face. My maid said that he wasn't even running, as she was holding his hand. 

I brought him to see the dentist the next day and the dentist said that he had smashed his tooth badly and has to be extracted. The least traumatic way for extraction for a 3 year old child would be via general anesthesia (i.e. gas him to sleep) and recommended me to go to a dentist at Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre for an initial consultation before scheduling for extraction. 

It was a tormenting decision, but something that had to be done. Fortunately it is only a baby tooth.