Dental Emergencies for Children

Your two year old was happily running down the stairs and woops! Now you have a wiggly tooth that should not be loose yet. Or your seven year old son caught the fly ball at the game – with his face – and lost a tooth. What do you do with these dental emergencies?

• Toothache – Rinse your child’s mouth out with clean water to get

  any debris out.  Use dental floss to remove trapped food.  Place a
  cold compress on the outside of the cheek if there is swelling.  Never

  place aspirin on the tooth or in the mouth.  Call your dentist

  immediately.

• Broken Space Maintainer, Broken Braces or Broken Wires – If you

  are able to take the broken appliance out easily, do so.  If not, cover

  the wires or bands with gauze, wax or cardboard.  See your dentist as

  soon as possible for repair.

• Foreign Objects Between the Teeth – Try to remove the object with

  floss, brushing or vigorous rinsing.  If you cannot dislodge the food,

  call your dentist for an appointment as soon as possible.

• Tooth Knocked Out – Clean the injured area and apply ice.

  Find and rinse the tooth off gently and keep wet by placing in a cup of

  water.  Handle the tooth as little as possible.  Call the dentist

  for re-implantation within one hour.  If you are able, place the tooth

  back in its socket and hellold it there while traveling to the dentist’s

  office.  Do not let a young child hold the tooth themselves in the

  socket as they may swallow it or choke on it.

• Loose Tooth from Fall or Hit - It is not uncommon for a child’s

  tooth to become slightly loose if knocked.  Watch the tooth, and don’t

  be surprised if it tightens up over night on it’s own.  If you have any

  questions, call your pediatrician or dentist.

• Fractured Tooth (Cracked Tooth) – Clean injured area gently.

  Place an ice compress over the face in the injured area.  Call the

  dentist as soon as possible.

• Tongue, Lip or Cheek Bite – Apply pressure to the area to control

  the bleeding.  Place an ice compress on any swelling.  If a large

  cut is present, call your dentist or pediatrician immediately for further

  assistance, as you may need to be seen for stitches.

• Fractured Jaws – If your child has swelling or difficulty moving

  the jaws, go to an emergency room immediately,.  You can place an ice

  compress on the affected area while on the way to the emergency room.

  If your child has even the slightest difficulty breathing, call 911!

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