17 Jul 5 Common Dental Emergencies for Kids
Daily brushing and flossing is a must for children, but it won’t prevent dental emergencies. Dental pain can cause major disruptions in your child’s development and affect the way that they learn, play, speak, and eat. And because some infections can spread from the mouth to other parts of the body, it’s important to get swift treatment for dental emergencies. Here’s when to take your child to the dentist.
Five Pediatric Dental Emergencies
1: Severe Toothaches
Making an appointment can be essential if your child is complaining of severe toothaches. Pain is our body’s way of letting us know that something is wrong. There are several issues that can lead to intense pain in the mouth. None of these issues will resolve on their own, and require the intervention of a dentist.
Causes of severe toothaches include:
- Extensive Tooth Decay
Your child will need fillings right away to ensure that the cavity does not grow any larger or infect their other teeth.
- Root Damage
Damage to the root of a tooth can lead to terrible pain, your child might need a root canal to remove the dead tissues.
- Dental Abscess
These pockets of infected pus at the root of the tooth can be both extremely painful and very dangerous. Your child will need antibiotics and emergency dental treatment.
2: Damage to Gums, Cheeks or Tongue
Trauma to the mouth can damage a child’s delicate oral tissues. If your child has a cut to their gums, tongue, inner cheek or lip that does not stop bleeding after five to ten minutes of direct pressure, they may need sutures. Shallower wounds will heal better if your child uses an antibacterial mouth rinse to prevent infections.
3: Chipped or Cracked Teeth
Depending on the severity of the damage, you might be able to leave a chipped tooth alone, but cracked teeth usually require dental work. Your child’s dentist will be able to determine if the structure of the tooth is damaged. If it is, your child will need treatment to keep the tooth functional. Damage to the structure of the tooth can lead to sensitivity and pain, which can affect the way your child chews and speaks, and even alter the development of their permanent teeth. If the damage is merely cosmetic, it could be corrected at a later date, or not at all.
4: Knocked Out Teeth
One of the most common dental emergencies for children is knocking out a tooth. Teeth that have been partially knocked out will need to be shifted back into its proper position. Teeth that have been knocked all the way out can be saved with an emergency dental appointment. If your child gets a baby tooth knocked out, but is at an age where the tooth would fall out soon on its own, it’s okay to pop that tooth under the pillow for the tooth fairy.
However, if your child is very young, or the tooth was a permanent one, you need to seek dental care immediately. Pick up the tooth by the crown (the section that is visible above the gums) and gently rinse it with warm water. Do not use soap or scrub the tooth. Once free of debris, place it back in the socket, in a cup of milk, OR in water with a pinch of table salt if milk is unavailable. The tooth will need to be reinserted within one hour to be able to save it.
5: Teeth That Have Been Pushed Back Under the Gums
Also known as an intruded tooth, a tooth that gets pushed back under the gums will often re-erupt on its own. Most often, intrusion only happens to the baby teeth, however, it can sometimes happen to new permanent teeth as well. Your dentist can let you know whether the tooth needs some help to re-emerge, or if it needs to be extracted so it doesn’t crowd the other teeth.
When to Seek Emergency Medical Care
Many dental emergencies can wait for an urgent dental appointment. However, some emergencies cannot wait, and you should take your child to an urgent care clinic or emergency room.
Seek medical attention if your child has:
- High fevers that last more than two days
- Continuous bleeding after more than 10 minutes of direct pressure
- A knocked-out tooth (outside of your dentist’s regular office hours)
Emergency Dental Care for Kids in Prescott, Arizona
Dental emergencies happen, and they can be frightening for your child and for you, as well. Having a dentist that you both can trust will help alleviate fear and anxiety in these moments. Here at Hicks Dental Group, we provide emergency pediatric dental care in a calm and pleasing environment. Contact us anytime to make an urgent appointment.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (7/16/24). Photo by Chris Benson on Unsplash.