DO YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY?
We are there when you need us most.
Do not hesitate to give us a call if your child has a dental emergency.
- Knocked Out Tooth
- Toothache or Other Dental Pain
- Swelling or Infection
- Lost Filling or Crown
- Facial, Lip, or Tongue Trauma
Pediatric Dental Emergency
As your child begins learning how to navigate the world around them, accidents are bound to happen. Usually, those accidents won’t result in any injuries, but it’s not all that uncommon that a fall or a collision can cause trauma to a child’s face, teeth, or mouth. Once in a while, it may even result in a pediatric dental emergency.
Damaged or knocked-out teeth or significant injury to the soft tissue of your child’s mouth can be shocking, but it’s important to remain calm and seek an urgent pediatric dentist as soon as you can.
The team at San Diego Children’s Dentistry will help put both you and your child at ease in the event of a pediatric dental emergency by providing your little one with the compassionate care they need as soon as possible.
What Is a Pediatric Dental Emergency?
A pediatric dental emergency is any issue with your child’s oral health that requires immediate attention. These issues range from the obvious, such as a knocked-out permanent tooth, to the less obvious, such as an object caught in the teeth.
While there are different levels of urgency for different pediatric dental emergencies, one thing remains true: your best bet in the event of one is to seek the help of an urgent pediatric dentist as soon as possible.
Different Kinds of Pediatric Dental Emergencies
There are certain pediatric dental emergencies that you will recognize the moment you see them, but that won’t necessarily always be the case. Certain dental issues may not seem as urgent as they really are. It’s important to recognize these issues so that you can act accordingly should they occur.
If your child was involved in an accident in which their teeth were chipped, fractured, or otherwise broken, you must reach out to an urgent pediatric dentist in San Diego as soon as possible. Damaged teeth are more susceptible to infection, and treating an infection can be a complicated and uncomfortable process for your child.
Contact San Diego Children’s Dentistry right away after an accident that damages their teeth. Have your child rinse their mouth out with water to help prevent any bacteria from getting into the compromised tooth and use a cold compress to reduce the swelling.
If you act fast, we may be able to save the tooth, so do your best to locate the broken tooth fragments and bring them to us.
Baby teeth are destined to come out at some point, but it can be alarming when they do so as a result of some sort of accident. Fortunately, this is usually nothing to panic about and may not even constitute a pediatric dental emergency.
Give us a call and let us know what happened. The chances are that your child won’t even need emergency dental treatment.
A knocked-out permanent tooth is enough to have any parent searching for an “emergency pediatric dentist near me” right away. This is one of the most severe pediatric dental emergencies, but it’s possible to save the tooth if you follow the below instructions and act as quickly as possible.
If you’re able to locate the tooth, handle it by the crown and do not touch the root. It’s also important that you do NOT clean it with soap, scrub it, or handle it unnecessarily.
Try to reinsert it into the socket and have your child keep it there while you come to our office. If you can’t reinsert it, preserve it in a bottle of milk. If you can trust that your child will not swallow it by accident, they can also hold it in their cheek.
If your child experiences a sudden toothache with no identifiable source, it can mean a number of different things, some of which may require immediate attention.
Clean the affected area with a toothbrush and floss, and then have your child rinse with warm water. If the pain continues, give us a call. Make sure not to place aspirin or heat on the gum or on the aching tooth. If facial swelling occurs, apply a cold compress and contact us right away.
If your child gets something stuck between their teeth, it can lead to swelling, infections, and even shifting of the teeth.
Attempt to gently remove the object with floss and floss only. If you still can’t dislodge the object, give us a call or come in to see us.
Not every pediatric dental emergency involves injury to the teeth. Damage to the soft tissue of your child’s mouth may require immediate attention as well. The frenulum is the piece of tissue that connects the upper lip to the gums. Tearing it is a fairly common injury.
Take a cold, damp paper towel or a piece of gauze and apply direct pressure to stop the bleeding. Check for loose teeth or any bleeding at the gum line. If you see either, come in and see us. If not, just reach out to let us know what happened, and we can give you some advice for at-home treatment.
In certain instances, the only one who might qualify this type of injury as a pediatric dental emergency is your child, who will undoubtedly be frightened and in pain. But when the injury and the bleeding are significant enough, it may warrant a trip to the hospital.
Apply ice to control swelling and apply firm but gentle pressure with a gauze or cloth to control bleeding. If the bleeding can’t be controlled, contact a doctor or go to the emergency room.
Blows or injuries to the head or jaw are more suited for an ER doctor than an urgent pediatric dentist.
Take your child to the emergency room immediately. If your child’s jaw has been injured, keep the jaw from moving as much as possible.
Where Can I Find an Emergency Pediatric Dentist Near Me?
If your child is in need of an urgent pediatric dentist, don’t waste any time. Contact San Diego Children’s Dentistry now.