A Detailed Look Into Some of the Common Pediatric Dental Emergencies

Parenthood is an experience like no other. It’s a lifelong journey that is sure to throw some serious curveballs along the way; however, it’s one experience none of us would want to trade for anything else.

Among the most challenging moments, you will face as a parent is when your little one feels under the weather. You hate seeing your child under any form of stress, pain, discomfort, or duress.

As stressful as these instances may be to both you and your child; unfortunately, it is an unavoidable part of the growing process. You will face a health-related or dental emergency at some point and time, and it will test your parenting skills.

Like any medical emergency, pediatric dental emergencies are also unpredictable. Most parents who have had to rush their children to the pediatric dentist for emergency dental services will tell you that these incidences occur when you least expect them.

You can never anticipate when your child will have a bad fall, knock a tooth out, or forget to wear their mouthguard during football practice and get a tooth knocked out from a hard hit.

As unpredictable as parenting and kids’ emergencies are, the only way to ensure the episode is not a complete disaster is to be prepared for it beforehand.

How Do You Prepare For A Pediatric Dental Emergency?

One of the first items you need to look into when preparing for any future pediatric dental emergency is getting a reliable 24-hour dentist who offers kids’ emergency dental services.

It would be best if you had an emergency dentist chosen before encountering an emergency. This is because it is quite hectic to research a reliable dentist during an emergency scenario.

Not knowing where to go for medical assistance will make the situation more stressful than it needs to be. You will begin to panic instead of keeping a calm composure as is needed during an emergency.

It would help if you asked your pediatric dentist to make a referral to an alternative emergency pediatric dentist who could handle your emergency in case they are unavailable when you need them. Keep in mind that you should never postpone getting treatment for any emergency. When faced with any pressing dental concern, it is best to contact our kids’ emergency dental clinic for guidance on how to handle the situation.

Some Of The Common Pediatric Dental Emergencies

Here are some of the prevalent dental emergencies we encounter at our kids dental emergency facility:

• Toothaches

This is one of the most common pediatric emergency dental issues. A toothache can be a serious cause for distress and can occur due to food getting lodged between teeth, trauma, decay, fractures, or even due to the eruption of wisdom teeth.

Suppose you notice that the toothache results from a stuck food residue; you can attempt to dislodge it using some dental floss, a sterile finger, or a toothbrush. However, if you are not sure about the toothache’s cause and it persists or intensifies, seek medical attention urgently.

• Dental Intrusion

This is a dental issue that occurs when a tooth gets forcefully pushed into the jawbone. It will normally happen due to trauma, and it becomes more severe if the force incurred during the trauma manages to damage the teeth ligaments or socket.

If this incident occurs, use cold water to rinse your kid’s mouth. To ease the pain, apply a cold compress on the injured area, and rush to the dentist for treatment.

• Knocked Out Permanent Tooth

If your child experiences a dental avulsion and loses a permanent tooth, you should rush them in to see our emergency pediatric dentist. This type of dental emergency is time-sensitive, and the reattachment of the affected tooth needs to happen within one hour of the incident for the best outcome. In these cases, you should always pick up the affected tooth by the crown, rinse it out gently and carry it in a container of milk to ensure it stays moist and viable for reimplantation.

Baby teeth are never reattached after such an incident because doing so may interfere with the tooth bud and damage the permanent tooth that will emerge in the future.

• Displaced Tooth

In this case, the tooth becomes dislodged from its socket, and even though it may still be attached, it may stick out or protrude at a funny angle. If your child still has primary teeth, then the incident should heal independently and may not require medical intervention.

However, if they have permanent teeth, you should seek medical attention to prevent losing the affected tooth or incurring an infection.

At Sunny Smiles Kids, we are all about making our little patients’ smiles safer, healthier, and brighter. Contact us today for prompt medical assistance during any dental emergency.