When your child is having a dental emergency, every moment matters. It’s crucial to give them the care they need as soon as possible. Contact us right away to speak with our team and save that little smile! Unsure if your kiddo is having a dental emergency? Keep reading.
Why Should My Child Get Emergency Dental Care?
First, getting emergency dental care gets your child out of pain. Toothaches, broken teeth, and other dental problems can cause serious pain that interferes with school, sports, and more. Getting care from our office will eliminate their pain and let them resume their normal routine. You and your child will also avoid further complications, which can save you both time and money. And most importantly, you’ll get peace of mind, knowing your child’s mouth is healthy once again.
Board-Certified Pediatric Dentist
Rest assured that your child is receiving top-notch, specialized care with our Board-Certified Pediatric Dentist. To be recognized by The American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, doctors must undergo extensive training in the pediatric field in addition to their standard dental degrees.
DID YOU KNOW?
Trauma to baby teeth can be a serious emergency, as the damage can affect the proper development of adult teeth.
The Benefits of Immediate Emergency Dental Care
Relief From Pain & Discomfort
A broken tooth, a pulled-out crown, or a toothache can cause lots of pain. And the only way to eliminate this pain is with proper dental care from an experienced pediatric dentist. Once your child gets treatment at our office, they can get back to their normal routine without pain, crying, and distractions.
Prevent More Complications
As a rule, the longer you wait to get help for your child, the worse their condition will be. For example, if they have a tooth infection, it’s possible to save the tooth with a root canal if it’s caught early. But if you wait too long, the tooth could be too infected to save. This may lead to tooth loss, or even other serious complications like sepsis, a potentially life-threatening reaction to a serious infection.
Save Time & Money
The sooner you get help, the more affordable your child’s care will be. For example, repairing a broken tooth is a lot cheaper than extracting it and replacing it with a dental implant. If you see a dentist as soon as you notice your child’s issue, your budget will thank you.
Problem-Focused Exams
When issues arise, our team can perform problem-focused exams (also known as limited exams) to help address the issues. Limited exams allow us to focus on what’s hurting or injured so we can get your kiddo out of pain fast.
Emergency Exam Includes:
Here when they need it most
No one plans to have a dental emergency, and that’s why we offer affordable emergency exams for kids. There’s no need for your child to wait in pain. Reach out to our team for care today.
The Emergency Dentistry Treatment Process
Call For An Appointment
As soon as you notice your child’s dental emergency, please give our office a call. We’ll discuss your problem with you, and schedule an appointment with your dentist ASAP. We can also give you some tips on how to deal with your emergency until it’s time for your little one’s appointment.
Emergency Exam
Once you come to our office, the dentist will take a look at your child’s mouth. They will get to the bottom of your issue, and determine the right treatment for your child’s condition.
Treating Your Child’s Condition
Every child is different, and so is every dental emergency. A few common emergency dental treatments include root canals, dental fillings, dental crowns, tooth extractions, and splints for loose or knocked-out teeth. Your child’s dentist will make sure that they get the appropriate care for their condition.
Same-Day Appointments
During a dental emergency, everything can happen so fast. Timely care is important, which is why we leave room in our schedule for emergencies. If your child needs to get help right away, give us a call for a same-day appointment.
Before & Afters
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Dental Trauma Guide
What to do in the event of trauma to the teeth and mouth:
If bleeding occurs:
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- Apply pressure with a clean cloth or gauze
- Try to identify the source of the bleeding
- If the gums or teeth are bleeding see a dental professional
- If the lips or face are injured visit the emergency room
If a tooth is chipped
- If the tooth fragment that chipped off is found, store it in milk, saliva or saline. Do NOT store in alcohol, water or mouthwash
- Contact a dentist for an emergency appointment
If a baby tooth is knocked out
- Baby teeth are not advised to be re-implanted but should be brought to the dentist to be evaluated
If there is a shift in the position of a tooth/teeth
- This is urgent! Contact a dentist for an emergency appointment ASAP
- If injury occurs outside of business hours visit the emergency room
If an adult tooth is knocked out
- Handle the tooth by the crown, try to avoid touching the root
- Rinse the tooth with milk or saline, DO NOT SCRUB
- Place the tooth back into the socket if possible
- If not, store the tooth in milk, saliva or saline. Do NOT store in alcohol, water or mouthwash. Adult teeth can be re-implanted by a dentist
- This is urgent! Contact a dentist for an emergency appointment ASAP
- If injury occurs outside of business hours visit the emergency room
If unsure whether a baby or adult tooth is knocked out
- Store the tooth in milk, saliva or saline and allow the doctor to determine. Do NOT store in alcohol, water or mouthwash
- This is urgent! Contact a dentist for an emergency appointment ASAP
- If injury occurs outside of business hours visit the emergency room
In all cases, focus on controlling bleeding (with gauze/clean cloth and pressure) and managing pain with motrin/tylenol (follow manufacturers instructions for dosing). Some dental emergencies are more urgent than others but all cases of dental trauma should be evaluated by a dentist as soon as possible.
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How to Reduce the Risk of Dental Trauma
Dental injuries are very common amongst active children. Here are some tips to reduce your child's risk of experiencing serious dental trauma.
Safe Play Environments
- Check play areas for younger children for hard surfaces and sharp corners, try to child-proof or limit access to such areas
- Keep hard objects and toys away from young children especially when they are teething (ages 0-3)
Preventing Sports-Related Trauma
- Helmets, facemasks and mouthguards reduce both the frequency and severity of dental/facial trauma.
- Mouthguards are highly recommended for all collision and contact sports and help prevent injuries such as broken or displaced teeth, jaw-joint injury, lip/cheek/chin lacerations and even concussions
- Custom mouthguards made by a dental provider offer the highest level of protection and can be made for children of all ages
- Pre-formed stock mouthguards and boil and bite mouthguards are more affordable alternatives which offer a lower level of protection than custom mouthguards but still reduce the risk and severity of injury
Education and Preparation
- Even with safeguards in place injuries happen! Learning how to manage dental injuries will help the adults managing the situation stay calm and act fast
- Some children are more prone to dental injury depending on their unique dental anatomy. Regular dental check ups will help identify potential risks and a dental provider can offer personalized suggestions
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if my child knocks out a tooth?
Knocked-out baby teeth are not usually replaced, even if they’re lost prematurely. If it’s a baby tooth, your child will need to come into our office to have their mouth examined and cleaned to prevent infection, and to get a “space maintainer.” This prosthetic will maintain the proper gap between their teeth, preventing the adjacent teeth from shifting toward the now-empty socket.
For an adult tooth, though, you need to get help immediately. Recover the tooth, rinse it, and put it in a container of cold milk to keep it moist. Then, come to our office immediately. Don't spend too much time treating pain or bleeding. Your child’s tooth must be re-attached within 1-2 hours for it to be saved, so time is of the essence. We can treat your child’s pain when they get to our office.
What should I do if my child’s dental work falls out?
Collect the filling, crown, or other piece of dental work and place it in a plastic baggie. Then, call us for a same-day appointment, and make sure to bring your child’s dental work in with you. It may be possible to re-cement a crown instead of completely replacing it.
What should I do about a severe toothache?
A severe toothache could indicate that your child has a deep cavity or an infected tooth. You should schedule a consultation at our office right away, as these are both serious dental emergencies that will only get worse without proper treatment.
What should I do if my child has chipped, broken or cracked a tooth?
First, treat their discomfort and bleeding. Then, contact us for a same-day appointment. Even minor tooth damage can cause hairline fractures and these fractures could lead to infections and other complications. After consulting with your child’s dentist, they can determine the best treatment for restoring the damaged tooth, and ensure your child’s smile remains healthy and strong.
What should I do if my child has a loose tooth?
If a baby tooth has come loose and it’s not due to an oral injury, you don’t have to do anything. Baby teeth are meant to fall out eventually, so this is natural.
However, if one of their teeth becomes loose and is bleeding after an oral injury, it may not be ready to fall out yet. The best thing to do is to get a consultation with your child’s dentist to have their mouth examined, and determine whether the tooth can be saved or if it should be replaced with a space maintainer.
