Pediatric Dental Emergencies

Knocked Out Permanent Tooth

This is a true dental emergency and should be seen immediately.

 

Remain calm and find the tooth.  Pick up the tooth by the crown (not the root) of the tooth.  If the tooth appears dirty you can briefly rinse it with water or some milk.  Re-implant the tooth, bite on a towel or a shirt to hold it in place and proceed to the dentist immediately.

 

If you are unable to re-implant, place the tooth in milk.

 

The best prognosis is if the tooth is re-implanted with-in 30 minutes.  For this reason, it is important to do this at the site of injury.

 

Knocked Out Baby Tooth

As upsetting as this can be for both a child and parent, DO NOT re-implant the baby tooth.  The permanent teeth are developing and doing so can injure the permanent tooth.  Bite on a towel or gauze to allow the bleeding to stop and treat with over the counter pain medications.  If adjacent teeth have also become loose, maintain a soft diet for 1-2 weeks.

 

Chipped Permanent Tooth

If the chip is large, try to save the broken fragment by putting it in a cup of milk.   If you cannot locate the fragment, or it is small, we can easily bond the tooth back to its natural state.  Either way, we will make your tooth look just like new!

 

Chipped Baby Tooth

In cases of chipped baby teeth, treatment is dependent up on age and severity.  In most cases, no treatment is performed.  Occasionally, the sharp portion of the tooth is smoothed so as not to cause any trauma to the lips.  If the tooth is chipped and the nerve is exposed, we may recommend extraction of the tooth.  The nerve would look like a red dot inside the tooth.

 

Facial Swelling

Any facial swelling is considered a true dental emergency and requires a consultation with your pediatric dentist immediately.  If it is after hours, please call us using option 2 and leave a message with one of our doctors on call.  If there is any difficulty swallowing or breathing, please go to the closest Emergency Room.

 

Abscessed Tooth

An abscessed tooth, also known as an infected tooth, will require extraction.  If you suspect an abscessed tooth please call our office immediately.

 

Torn Frenum

Most lacerations to the upper and lower frenum do not require suturing, however, they do produce a lot of bleeding.  Stay calm and wait for the bleeding to stop in order to assess the injury.

 

Tongue Laceration

Most tongue lacerations also do not require stitches.  If this occurs hold pressure on the laceration for 15-20 minutes.  In most cases, this will stop the bleeding.  If bleeding continues or laceration is large, you may need to go to the oral surgeon or Emergency room for stitches.

 

Discolored baby teeth

Discoloration can be caused by multiple things including:

 

• Extrinsic staining

This refers to staining on the exterior of the teeth.  It can be caused by plaque, medication use, certain foods, or overpopulation of specific bacteria found in the mouth.

 

• Intrinsic Staining

This is usually a result of a tooth injury.  The trauma causes the tooth to turn various shades of brown over time.  This discoloration usually lightens up over time, but, can occasionally stay very dark or even abscess. If an abscess is suspected you should call our office immediately.