Protecting Children From Dental Emergencies
When a child’s tooth is chipped or cracked, this is a dental emergency and requires immediate attention. Otherwise, the tooth could be vulnerable to painful cavities and infections. In today’s blog, your Dallas, TX, pediatric dentist talks about how we protect smiles from the onset of dental emergencies?
Custom Mouthguards and More
When children play full contact sports or martial arts, this could lead to cracked or chipped teeth. In some cases, they could even be knocked loose or out. To protect them from injury, we recommend a custom-made mouthguard. While boil-and-bite options from sporting goods stores are good, a custom-made option provides a greater level of protection from injuries. In addition, good oral hygiene habits prevent cavities and infections from weakening tooth structure, which then reduces the overall risk of dental emergencies too.
What Happens When a Tooth is Damaged?
What if a tooth is damaged? Have your child rinse with warm water and use a bit of cloth or gauze to control any bleeding. If any pieces of the tooth can be recovered then bring them with you. A cold compress or ice pack to the side of your face can help reduce facial swelling. Your little one can take an age-appropriate over the counter pain reliever as well. Be sure to call us right away, even if this occurs outside normal business hours, so we can arrange for a time to see you. If a tooth is knocked out completely, pick it up by the crown, never touch the root at all, and place it in a glass of salt water or milk. It can also be gently rinsed and returned to the socket, and your child can carefully bite down to hold it in place.
Possible Treatment Options
Our team can help return a knocked-out tooth to the socket, or secure one that is knocked loose. With composite resin, the same material we use in our tooth-colored fillings, we can gently correct damaged teeth to improve esthetics and also reduce the risk of complications like tooth decay and dental infection. We could also place a stainless steel or zirconia crown to repair them as well. If you have any questions about how to limit the risk of dental injury for your children, or about responding to dental emergency situations, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to make sure your kid enjoys a healthy and fun summer break!
Does Your Child Need Emergency Dental Care?
We would like to help address serious concerns before little smiles develop cavities and other complications. If you have any questions about treating a cracked or chipped tooth, then contact your Dallas, TX pediatric dentist, Dr. Marr, by calling (214) 321-4880.
filed under: Dental Emergencies