How to Handle Dental Emergencies in Children

When your child is hurt or sick, it can be an overwhelming feeling and some parents may not know what they need to do. Fortunately, if your child suffers from a dental emergency, your dentist will know exactly what you need to do. It is important to keep your dentist’s phone number in your phone, because time can be extremely important for certain emergencies. If you know what you need to do if your child experiences a dental emergency, it might make the difference of your child being able to keep their tooth or lose it.  

There are several different dental emergencies that a child might suffer from and here is what you need to know about each of those:

Toothache: If you have ever experienced a toothache, you know how debilitating it can be. There are many different causes of a toothache, which include having an infection, suffering from tooth decay, having a new tooth come in or experiencing trauma to your mouth. If your child is experiencing a toothache, you might consider giving them ibuprofen or acetaminophen, having them rinse their mouth with warm salt water and applying a cold compress. You will also want to call your dentist to get your child in to see them as soon as possible.

A tooth gets knocked out: There are many ways that a child can have a tooth knocked out, whether it’s from falling and hitting their mouth on something hard, suffering a mouth injury while playing sports, or hitting their face hard against something. If your child’s tooth has been knocked out, you should gently pick up the tooth and rinse it with water and place it into a glass of milk. You will want to call your dentist immediately so they can see your child and determine the best course of action.

A tooth gets chipped or fractured: As with some of the injuries listed above, your child may suffer from an incident in which their tooth doesn’t get fully knocked out, but it gets chipped or fractured. Although this may not cause your child to experience a lot of pain, your child may suffer from nerve damage. You should call your dentist and get an appointment.

A filling or crown falls out: If this happens to your child, you should rinse it and wrap it in a clean cloth. You will then need to schedule an appointment for your child.

Your child hits their mouth hard: Your child may experience an injury in which they hit their mouth, but the tooth does not chip or fall out. This may cause the tooth to become discolored. Although this is not usually a dental emergency, it would still be best to call your dentist and have them see your child.

No matter what type of dental emergency your child is experiencing, it is important to contact your dentist and get your child seen as soon as possible.