Protect Your Child From Dental Emergencies

Seeing a child clenching their jaw in pain is something parents look to avoid at all costs. It’s never easy for a parent to see their child struggle with dental pain. However, accidents happen and someone is going to end up dealing with a chipped tooth or other dental injury emergency eventually. If your child lives a highly active lifestyle and is involved in contact sports, it is important that parents and their children know the proper ways to protect a child’s dental health when an unexpected dental emergency happens. Lost Tooth If your child loses a baby tooth unexpectedly, it is recommended to bring them to your dental care provider immediately. While tooth replacement for a lost baby tooth is rare, it is still important to receive an assessment for any potential damage from what caused the unexpected tooth loss. When your child loses a permanent tooth, it is important to find the tooth and keep it moist with milk, salt water, or saliva as you head toward the dentist. This increases the chance for a successful reintroduction. For older children, the dentist can put the tooth back in it’s socket as well. Younger children should avoid this, since they might swallow the tooth. Impacted/Displaced Teeth If your child’s tooth has been impacted into their gums or made crooked, they could suffer a negative impact with future development. It is best to treat the tooth with a cold compress and contact your emergency dentist right away. Chipped/Broken Teeth Whether the chipped or broken tooth comes from a sports injury or roughhousing your child can be in pain. It is best to treat the injured tooth with a cold compress. You should also provide your child with children’s pain medication while you call your emergency dental care provider. Various Tooth Pain Causes Your child’s tooth ache could stem from a variety of issues. Some common causes for tooth aches are… - Cavitiesrn- Traumarn- Tooth fracturesrn- Tooth eruptionrn- Food stuck in teeth If your child is suffering from a toothache, first, check their mouth for abnormalities, then have them rinse their mouth. If the pain continues to persist contact you emergency dental care provider.