Despite experiencing a significant dental trauma, when Lexi Quinn grows up she wants to become a dentist.
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In 2017 the-then two-year-old was playing when she tripped and hit here mouth on the back of a metal trike.
The toddler was left with a swollen face, bruised eyes and in a world of pain. Four of her upper front baby incisors were also missing.
After going to the emergency department, Lexi's mother Brooke Quinn was told her daughter's teeth had likely fallen out. Knowing something wasn't quite right, she took her to the dentist.
It was here that x-rays revealed the force of Lexi's fall had in fact pushed her teeth so far back up into the jawbone, through her gums, they were no longer visible.
She required emergency surgery to have the teeth extracted. Now, Ms Quinn said it was a waiting game.
"It has been ongoing ever since the fall ... it was all very traumatic," she said.
"It was obviously a big thing at the time, having to perform surgery on a two-year-old. Fortunately I don't think she remembers a lot of what happened.
"Now it's about how her adult teeth grow. It will be more about her ongoing dental care going forward."
Lexi was treated at Riverside's No Gap Dental, before being referred onto Dr Marilyn Owens - Tasmania's only pediatric dental specialist.
Dr Owens said the case highlighted the importance of accurate diagnosis and prompt care.
"Lexi's mother knew the baby teeth could not be located," she said.
"An x-ray in a trauma case like this remains crucial, and the x-ray I recorded clearly showed that indeed none of them had fallen out of the mouth.
"Such trauma was not only painful, but left Lexi at risk of subsequent infection and other complications."
During Dental Health Week from August 5 to 11, Tasmanians are being asked to consider how their oral health is tracking.
This includes key messages around preventative health - such as brushing twice a day - and regularly visiting a dentist.
Now in kindergarten at Perth Primary School, Ms Quinn said despite Lexi's trauma some positives had came from the experience.
"At kindergarten they have a tree and when they lose a tooth, they get to put their name on it," she explained.
"Lexi was really excited because she was the first to go on there. She also has her monkey, which I got because she became obsessed with one similar at Dr Owens' office.
"Ask Lexi what she wants to be when she grows up, she'll tell you it's a dentist."
Jessica Willard
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
