Children’s Dental Emergencies

by Dr Mashruh Khaled (dentist) | Mar 27, 2024 | Children's Dental Emergencies

childrens dental emergencies

Dental emergencies are more common in children than in adults. You must act quickly and adequately if your child encounters a dental emergency.

At Thornton Dental, we go the extra mile regarding your child’s dental health.

Here are some of the most common children’s dental emergencies we deal with at our dental clinic, as well as steps to help you handle the situation at home or anywhere else.

Is it a dental emergency?

If you are not sure of what a dental emergency is, answer the following questions:

Is the child’s mouth bleeding?
Is there severe pain?
Are there any avulsed teeth?
Is there any swelling in the mouth?

A dental emergency is likely confirmed if your answer to the questions above is YES. If so, see your Thornton dentist right away.

First Aid for Children’s Dental Emergencies

Toothache

Have your child rinse their mouth with warm salt water
If there is a swelling, apply a cold compress against the area with the aching tooth
Don’t put medicine on the tooth or its surrounding gum tissue
If there is any food debris in or around the teeth, floss or brush the teeth
See a dentist immediately

Knocked-out Tooth

Locate the tooth right away
Never touch the root, but hold the crown only
Clean the tooth with water, but don’t scrub or scrape it
For older children, attempt to reinsert the tooth into its socket gently
For younger children, the tooth must be put in a glass or container that has milk or saliva
Keep the tooth moist while you are on the way to the dentist, as this is important for the success of reimplantation

Chipped or Broken Tooth

Rinse the afflicted area with warm, clean water.
Apply pressure on the bleeding using a clean cloth
Apply a cold compress against the face where the injury happened
If possible, locate and collect the broken tooth fragments
Visit your dentist as soon as possible

Broken Braces

Get a pencil eraser to move the offending wire into place. Do this slowly to avoid breaking the wire
See a dentist immediately
While on the way to the clinic, cover sharp edges with cotton or clean gauze