When a child is dealing with a dental concern that is out of the ordinary, it can be nerve-wracking for caregivers to decide what to do next. The biggest question is determining whether or not you have a dental emergency on your hands that requires immediate care or if it’s something that can wait. In this blog post, we discuss common dental emergencies!
Knocked-Out Tooth
The most time-sensitive dental emergency is if one of your child’s permanent teeth has been knocked out. First, remain calm and call our office! Handle the tooth only by its crown, which is the chewing surface. If it has debris on it, gently rinse it for about 10 seconds in milk, cold running water, or a mixture of 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon table salt. Reimplant the permanent tooth and have your child bite down on a clean cloth, gauze, or paper towel. If you can’t reimplant the tooth, keep it moist in milk or between the child’s cheek and gums as you travel to our office.
Dental Infection
Signs of a tooth infection or dental abscess include fever, persistent bad breath, severe dental pain, swollen gums, and a bad taste in the mouth. When it comes to dental infections, it’s best to act fast before it spreads!
Chipped Tooth
A chipped or cracked tooth can be more than a superficial issue. If the break is severe, it may have opened a pathway for bacteria to infect the sensitive inner tooth, called the pulp. Infection can cause pain and tooth loss. While a chip, crack, or break may not require immediate treatment like a knocked-out tooth or dental abscess, it is still an urgent issue!
Emergency Dental Care in Tyler, TX
Storybook Smiles Children’s Dentistry offers same-day emergency dental care. you’re ever in doubt about whether or not your child is experiencing a dental emergency, call us! Our dental team will guide you on what to do next.
