What to Do When Your Child Has a Dental Emergency
No matter how closely you watch your child, accidents can still happen, and dental emergencies can still come up. If your child has a dental emergency, it’s important to connect your pediatric dentist as soon as possible.
Here is a list of the most common dental emergencies and what to do if they occur.
1. Your child knocks out their tooth
This can happen while playing spots, fighting with friends or siblings, or just taking a fall. If your your child knocks out a tooth, act quickly to give your kids dentist the best chance possible to save and reimplant the tooth.
o Control the bleeding by holding a compress directly against the area. If you can’t get the bleeding to stop, go to your nearest emergency room.
o Try to find the tooth, and if you do, clean it with water.
o If it’s a permanent (adult) tooth, place the tooth back in the socket, and gently press it down until it’s level with the other teeth. Place a piece of gauze on top and ask your child to gently bit down on the gauze to keep the tooth in place. If you’re unable to get the tooth back into its socket, store the tooth in a cup of milk, saliva, or water to prevent it from drying out.
o If it’s a primary (baby) tooth, skip the step about placing it back in its socket and bring the tooth (stored in milk, water or saliva) to the dentist right away. Some people assume that baby teeth don’t need treatment because the child will eventually lose them anyway, but a missing tooth could mean tooth misalignment down the road as other teeth will shift to fill the gap left by the missing tooth.
o Call your pediatric dentist to bring in your child right away.
2. Your child knocks a tooth out of alignment
In this situation, follow the same steps for both primary and permanent teeth.
o If there’s bleeding, get that under control. If you can’t, visit your local emergency department.
o Gently guide the tooth back into its natural place in the mouth.
o Top the tooth with gauze and have your child bit down gently to keep the tooth in place.
o Go see your dentist as soon as possible – this could be the difference between saving the tooth and needing a replacement.
3. A chipped tooth
o Once again, control the bleeding
o Have your child rinse with clean water and watch for any tooth fragments that may come loose. Keep those for your dentist.
o Call your pediatric dentist immediately and bring your child in to the office.
As a parent, there’s a good chance you’ll face one of these situations eventually. If you do, call the team at Kids Corner Medical & Dental is South Oakville to be treated by specialized pediatric dentists and get your child back out on the rink or playground as soon as possible.
Our office is conveniently located in South Oakville with ample, free parking available. New patients and emergencies are always welcome.
