Emergency Dental Care for Children

Children are very active, and with more activity usually comes more accidents. If your child is active, always running around, or playing sports, there is a good chance that at some point they may have an accidental or sports-related oral injury. As a parent, the more prepared you can be for these accidents, the better. Having some understanding of what counts as a dental emergency and how to handle it is a great place to start. Provided below are some tips for handling chapel hill dental emergencies for your children.

Dealing with a Dental Emergency: Steps

Dealing with a dental emergency is just like dealing with another accident or injury. There are some immediate basic steps that you should follow:

• Immediately check the mouth for bleeding
• If there is bleeding, apply pressure with a clean cloth
• Once the bleeding has either stopped or is under control, if possible try to clean up the wounded area
• Assess the severity of the injury and the level of the pain
• Once you have an idea of the injury and the level of pain and bleeding, call your family dentist and determine if an emergency visit is needed If a permanent tooth has been knocked out, try to locate the tooth immediately. If you have the tooth, try to place it back in the socket. This little step can dramatically increase the chance of the tooth being saved. If you are not able to put the tooth back in place, handle it at little as possible and place it in a container of milk to take with you to the dentist. Bringing the tooth along does not guarantee it will be replanted. This depends on the tooth, the gum tissue, and the age of your child.

Emergency Visits to the Dentist

If your child’s oral injury involves trauma to the face and mouth including the loss of teeth, bleeding or a laceration, you should seek emergency dental services immediately. Even if it is not apparent that a tooth has been lost or damaged, you should still call your dentist for a quick consultation over the phone. This call, and a quick visit could be the difference between keeping or losing a tooth that may be damaged. If a tooth has been lost, it is important to take your child to the dentist immediately to potentially save the tooth and prevent infection.

How to be Prepared for Dental Emergencies

If you have active children, having a first aid kit and including items for dental emergencies is a great way to be prepared. First aid items needed for a dental emergency aren’t really that different than items used for a general injury. To be prepared for a dental emergency your first aid kid should include: clean gauze, a small clean cup, compresses, and a small storage container for a tooth. Overall, the better informed and prepared you are the better you will be able to respond to an oral health emergency. Your child will thank you, and your child’s smile will thank you.

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