Children are adventurous and ever-curious. This is an essential part of the growing process but the results aren’t always pleasant. Sometimes, through no fault of your own, your child can take a tumble leading to an injury that requires emergency pediatric dental care.

If your child has experienced any of the following dental emergencies, contact us immediately and we will devote all of our attention to fixing the problem and getting your child safely back on the playground.

Object Lodged in the Teeth

The most common dental complaint in children usually arises from some food or another object stuck between the teeth. It can usually be resolved with a simple flossing. Make sure that you only use floss and not a sharp tool made of metal or plastic. If gentle flossing doesn’t do the trick, call us for an appointment. To prevent the occurrence of stuck food, avoid giving your child hard foods such as popcorn kernels.

Bitten Tongue or Lip

We all do this from time to time while eating. Most of the time the wound will heal on its own within a few short minutes. However, sometimes a bite can be severe enough to cause significant bleeding. If this occurs, wet a washcloth with cold water and place on the area. This will help to stop the bleeding as well as reduce swelling. In the event of a serious bite, contact us for an appointment and we will determine if additional treatment is required.

Toothache

Toothaches can have a number of causes so it is crucial to schedule an immediate appointment with us so that we can determine the source of the pain. In the meantime, rinse the mouth with warm salty water and apply a cold washcloth to the painful area to reduce swelling. You can also give your child some acetaminophen to reduce pain and swelling. Remember, brushing, flossing, and regular dental visits can go a long way to preventing toothaches.

Loose Tooth

Now a tooth may become loose because it is its naturally time to fall out. Assuming we are talking about an abnormally loose tooth, the most important thing is to not wiggle it. Wiggling a loose tooth can only make it more loose. Try to protect the tooth and eat soft foods until you can see a dentist.

Cracked Tooth

If your child takes a fall or hits his head against a hard object causing a tooth to chip or fracture, schedule an emergency dental appointment with us right away. Rinse the mouth with warm salt water to decrease the risk of infection and bring the missing piece of tooth, if any, with you to our office.

Knocked-out Tooth

If some rowdy playing or another accident leads to a tooth becoming knocked-out of the mouth, rinse the tooth with warm water and attempt to replace the tooth while touching only the crown. If you are unable to return the tooth to the socket, place in a milk-filled container and bring to us. If proper treatments are sought immediately, it might be possible to save your child’s adult tooth. In the event of avulsed teeth, where the alveolar bone is knocked-out along with the tooth itself, the child will require a root canal due to the damaged tissue and nerves in the area. Adult teeth are the only teeth that will be reinserted. If the tooth that was knocked-out was a baby tooth, still schedule an appointment with us so that we can make sure that the tooth was completely removed and that there are no lingering tooth fragments.

Broken Jaw

Broken jaws are often indicative of other potential trauma as well. Immediately place a cold washcloth on the area and call 911 or our emergency number. Blows to the head, which are the most likely cause of the broken jaw, can also lead to concussions and other potentially life-threatening issues. If your child is very active and participates in sports, talk to us about custom mouthguards that can prevent a myriad of dental and facial injuries.