Dental Emergencies: Children and Adolescents

Dental emergencies occur when you least expect them. When a dental emergency occurs, the most important aspect of handling the emergency is to have your child brought to our office as soon as possible.

Toothache

Should your child complain of a toothache, have them rinse their mouth copiously with warm salt water to flush out any debris that may have accumulated. If your child requires medication to relieve the pain, have them take either Children's Tylenol or Children's Advil. Do not apply any medications to the affected tooth or gum.  Immediately contact our office and arrange for an appointment so that we can correctly diagnosis the cause of the toothache.

If A Permanent Tooth is Accidentally Knocked Out

If the displaced tooth has accumulated debris, rinse it gently under cool water.   Do not make any effort to scrub the tooth clean. Gently replace the tooth in its socket and hold it in place. If you are unable to reset the tooth in its socket, place the tooth in a container of cool water. Come IMMEDIATELY (within 30 minutes if possible) to our office, where may be able to reimplant the tooth. The tooth’s viability is very much dependent on the amount of time that has lapsed from the time of the injury to the time of its re-implantation. Time is, therefore, of the essence in these cases.

A baby tooth is knocked out

If a baby tooth is accidentally knocked out, do not panic! Simply rinse your child's mouth with water and call our office as soon as possible. At the office, we will conduct a thorough examination to make sure that no further damage has occurred.
* Do not, under any circumstance, attempt to re-implant a baby tooth as this may damage the permanent tooth which is developing!

Bitten tongue or lip

Both tongues and lips tend to bleed profusely when cut or bitten. To stop the flow of blood, apply direct pressure to the bleeding area with gauze or a clean cloth. If you cannot stem the blood flow, immediately bring your child to our office or to a hospital emergency room.

Broken or chipped tooth

Immediately contact the office and bring your child to the office. Immediate action can prevent infection and reduce the need for extensive dental treatment. Use cold compresses to minimize swelling.

Mouth guards

If your child participates in any recreational sport where there may be contact, we recommend having your child wear a form fitted mouth guard which may be fabricated at our office.  Mouth guards help prevent injury to  the teeth and may protect against head and neck injuries by cushioning blows that might otherwise cause concussions or lead to jaw fractures.