What really happens when your child swallows a tooth?
Experts caution that while swallowing a tooth is usually harmless for both children and adults, it is important to watch for any concerning symptoms.
Imagine you and your child are having lunch when she suddenly comes running to you, screaming that her tooth fell out, but she accidentally swallowed it while eating. Would you panic? Rush her to the hospital? Try to make her vomit? Or is there a better way to handle the situation?
While losing baby teeth is an exciting milestone for children, often marked by stories of the tooth fairy (who gives money in return) or even traditional customs like throwing the tooth on the roof for some parents, their children shedding teeth is their worst nightmare marked with anxiety and overthinking.
So, what happens when your child swallows it? Many Kenyan parents panic, but doctors say there is usually no need for alarm.
According to the Kingstown dentist, swallowing a tooth is not a major cause for concern since teeth are mostly made up of calcium, they will get digested by the stomach or pass through the digestive system with no issues.
“The first step is not to panic, because when you panic, your child will panic as well. Baby teeth are also so small, so the chances of them getting stuck along the way are slim. But if your child swallows one of their adult teeth (permanent), they might need an x-ray to confirm that everything is in order since adult teeth are slightly bigger,” they said.
“Adults can rest assured that the same applies to them too. If you happen to swallow a tooth, in most cases, you have nothing to worry about.”
Experts also say that if the child’s tooth does not entirely dissolve in the stomach acid, it will be small enough to be passed through their stool within two to four days.
However, experts caution that while swallowing a tooth is usually harmless for both children and adults, it is important to watch for any concerning symptoms.
These include stomach pain, vomiting, chest or neck pain, difficulty swallowing, fever, or blood in stool or vomit, any of which could indicate that the tooth is stuck somewhere in the throat or digestive system.
Even if the child appears fine, monitoring for these signs is crucial.
“To be on the safe side, visit your nearest hospital or paediatrician for a checkup. And if they show any signs of unusual breathing, seek medical attention immediately,” they advised.
Additionally, a swallowed tooth may not always be visible on an X-ray, so a doctor might need to perform an endoscopy for a clearer assessment.
An endoscopy is a medical procedure where a doctor uses a thin, flexible tube with a camera to look inside the body. It is often used to examine the digestive system and can help locate or remove swallowed objects, like a tooth, coins etc. The procedure is usually done with sedation or local anaesthesia for comfort.
If retrieval is necessary, modern advancements in endoscopic procedures and anaesthesia have made the process much more comfortable and less invasive, so the tooth will be retrieved.
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