Dental Emergencies

Helpful information on what you can do
If your child experiences trauma to the mouth, please call our office as soon as possible. If our office is closed, you should call our office phone number and you will be prompted on what to press for a dental emergency. If the doctor on call should not answer immediately, please leave a message and he will return your call.

During regular office hours, please be considerate if your doctor’s schedule is altered due to an unforeseen accident. We assure you that your child will receive the same care and consideration if an unfortunate event were to occur to your family.

Knocked out permanent tooth
Call our office immediately. Reinserting the tooth as soon as possible is critical to saving the tooth. Find the tooth if possible and handle it by the crown, not the root. Gently rinse with water only do not scrub the tooth. Try to place the tooth back into the socket and hold in place with your finger or by biting down on gauze. If you cannot reinsert the tooth, transport it in a cup containing milk.
Knocked out primary (baby) tooth
Do not reinsert a baby tooth as this may cause infection or damage to the developing permanent tooth. Loss of a baby tooth is usually not an emergency and in most cases no treatment is necessary. Call our office for an appointment or to speak with a doctor.
Chipped or fractured permanent tooth
Call our office for the dentist to determine the need for treatment. Be prepared to answer questions relating to sensitivity, swelling, pain and type of accident. If the nerve is exposed, your child will likely need treatment soon. If it is smaller portion of the tooth, this may not need to be treated immediately.
Chipped or fractured primary (baby) tooth
Call our office for the dentist to determine the need for treatment. Be prepared to answer questions relating to sensitivity, swelling, pain and type of accident. This is often not an emergency.
Abscess/Infection of the tooth
An abscess is an infection that looks like a pimple on the gum tissue next to a tooth. Your child may have pain, sensitivity or facial swelling. Pain may be relieved temporarily with ibuprofen or Tylenol. Often, an abscessed primary tooth will need to be extracted to relieve pain and prevent damage to the developing permanent teeth. An abscess in a permanent tooth will likely require a root canal or endodontic procedure. Call our office for an appointment as soon as possible.
Permanent tooth coming in, primary (baby) tooth not out
When baby teeth are loose, allow your child to wiggle them out. This will allow for the permanent teeth to erupt correctly. Sometimes the lower front teeth will erupt behind the baby teeth. The tongue will naturally help to push them forward over time. If the permanent teeth are erupting next to the baby teeth and the baby teeth are not loose or your child is unable to wiggle them out, call our office for an appointment. This is not an emergency.
Toothache
If your child’s face and/or gums are swollen, apply ice packs to the area. Do not apply heat. Ibuprofen or Tylenol may be given according to directions to help relieve pain. Call our office for an appointment.

Prevention

Sports Safety
Make sure your children wear helmets when skating, riding bicycles, scooter and skateboards. Mouthguards and facemasks should be worn while playing any contact sports. We offer custom fit athletic mouthguards in your child’s choice of colors. Please call our office for more information.
Automobile Safety
Children should be correctly fastened into a car or booster seat. The seat should be age and weight appropriate and should be installed properly.
Safety at Home
About half of all dental injuries occur at home. To avoid “trip and fall” injuries be sure to keep floors and stairs clear of loose items. We understand kids are active and accidents will happen. We are here to help.