Dental Emergencies

Bit lip after dental anesthesia

If your child bites or sucks on their lip while they are still numb after dental anesthesia the area can look swollen and white. Make sure to keep the area clean with warm salt water, maintain a soft cold diet, and give your child ibuprofen as needed. The swelling should go down and healing should occur within 2 weeks. Please not that you should not use this recommended over the counter pain reliever if your child is allergic to it.

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Bleeding After Baby Tooth Falls Out

Have your child bite on a clean folded gauze for fifteen minutes and make sure he/she is resting. Repeat this if necessary. Your child should maintain a soft diet for the rest of the day.

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Knocked Out Baby Tooth

Baby teeth should NOT be put back into the mouth because it may damage the growing permanent tooth. Your child still needs to be seen at the office to rule out any other injuries to the teeth or jawbone. 

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Knocked Out Permanent Tooth

Contact us immediately. Time is a critical factor in saving a permanent tooth. Find the tooth and gently rinse off any dirt with milk if possible, if milk is not available rinse off quickly under water. Hold the tooth by the crown, not the root, and do not scrub it. Place the tooth into its socket and gently hold in place with gauze. If you are not able to reinsert the tooth, put it in a cup with milk and bring it to the office. If milk is not available, have your child spit in a cup and place the tooth in saliva. Avoid placing the tooth in water. We do not recommend having your child hold the tooth inside his/her cheek. They may swallow it.

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Broken Tooth

 If you have the broken piece of tooth, store it in milk. Place a cold compress over the face in the area of the injury to reduce swelling. Call our office immediately to assess further injuries, prevent infection and repair the tooth.

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Toothache

The most common cause of dental pain in a child is caused by untreated cavities. Clean the area of the affected tooth. Rinse the mouth thoroughly with warm salt water and use dental floss to dislodge any food that may be impacted. If swelling is present, apply cold compresses to the cheek. You may give your child over the counter acetaminophen or ibuprofen to alleviate pain and visit us as soon as possible. Please not that you should not use these recommended over the counter pain relivers if your child is allergic to them. Protect your child from unnecessary toothaches with regular dental visits and preventive care.

 

 

Swelling

If the face is swollen because of a tooth infection, it could be a life-threatening situation and your child needs to go to the hospital emergency room immediately. Place a cold compress on the face until you can see a doctor. Call our office for an emergency appointment to evaluate where the infection is and how to treat it.

Possible broken of fractured jaw

Keep the jaw from moving and take your child to the nearest hospital emergency room.

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Cold / Canker Sores

Many children occasionally suffer from cold sores around the lips and canker sores inside the mouth. These sores usually take seven to fourteen days to heal. There are products at your local pharmacy that will help relieve the pain. Please let us know if these sores occur often or last longer than usual. Some serious diseases may begin as sores and need prescription medications.

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Cut or Bitten Tongue, Lip or Cheek

If there is bleeding, apply firm yet gentle pressure to the area with a clean cloth or gauze. If you cannot get the bleeding to stop after fifteen minutes, go to the hospital emergency room. Apply a cold compress to swollen or bruised areas. Make sure your child is comfortable and calm. Call our office for an appointment to assess any injury to the teeth, jawbone or tissues around the mouth.