My mom and I have differing opinions on wearing protective gear when I go long boarding. She’s always nagging me to be safe, but I don’t want to wear the stuff… it’s just not cool. Well, I guess I should have listened to her because today I face-planted right into the cement and broke off a small piece of my front tooth. There’s no way I can tell her what happened! I’m not quite seventeen, but I’m wondering if I can see an emergency dentist without her knowing? It doesn’t look that bad, so is it a big deal if I don’t even have it looked at? — Jeremy

Jeremy,
While it may seem that you are trying to step up and act responsibly to take care of this on your own, it might be best to re-think the situation and tell your mom what happened. The choice is yours, but she will probably see that as being more responsible than trying to take care of it behind her back.

With that said, there are laws in place that don’t allow people under a certain age to consent themselves to medical treatment and in most states that is age 18. An emergency dentist is going to want your mom or another consenting adult to be present and sign the consent for your treatment.

It’s obvious that your mom cares for you or she wouldn’t have bugged you so much about wearing the gear. She may be upset at first, but her main concern will be to protect you and help you find the right dentist to fix your tooth. Plus, your family probably has dental insurance which will help cover much of the cost. Without it, you may have to pay hundreds of dollars more and also have a full cash payment.

You definitely need to see a dentist. While it might seem like a simple chip on your tooth, your dentist will want to do an x-ray just to be sure there is no other damage beneath the surface. Take the high road and tell mom – you’ll feel better about it in the end and have your smile back in no time!

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