What if My Child Has A Dental Emergency?
While dental injuries for children are fairly common, they can be stressful and nerve-wracking for you and your child. Read through some of the following helpful tips when assessing your child's dental emergency.
- Remain calm. With a clear head, you will be able to act more promptly and effectively help minimize your child's injury and calm their distress.
- If your child hit their head and lost consciousness even for a brief moment, and/or if one pupil seems larger than the other, TAKE YOUR CHILD TO THE HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM RIGHT AWAY! Worry about the teeth later.
- Use a clean washcloth or gauze to stop bleeding and inspect your child's mouth. If there are broken or missing teeth, look for the teeth or teeth fragments (see below).
Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth
Carefully hold the tooth by its crown (not roots). If the tooth is dirty, rinse the root with water. Be sure not to scrub the root or you will damage the delicate living cells on the surface. If possible, gently insert the tooth back in its socket and hold it there. Have your child bite softly on a clean cloth or folded paper towel to hold the tooth in place once inserted, then visit the dentist immediately! If inserting the tooth back inside the socket is not possible, store the tooth in milk.
If you really want to be prepared for handling a knocked-out permanent tooth, the Save-A-Tooth® Emergency Tooth Preserving System (Hank's Balanced Salt Solution) is the most ideal way to transport a tooth. It is a patented six-part device that protects knocked out teeth from the two primary causes of replanted tooth loss: tooth root cell crushing and tooth cell nutrient depletion. The Save-A-Tooth® System uses a scientifically engineered removable basket and net to hold the tooth, and a special pH balanced preserving fluid (HBSS) that preserves and reconstitutes tooth cells. Save on shipping fees by purchasing the Save-A-Tooth® at the Silver Star Dental office (save on shipping fees) or purchase online at: http://www.save-a-tooth.com.
There is only a small window of opportunity to save the tooth. If the knocked-out tooth is a baby tooth, don't re-insert it. Dr. Hsu normally does not attempt to save the baby tooth as the tooth will likely ankylose (fuse to the bone) and cause problems for your child's permanent tooth when it tries to erupt.
Abscessed Tooth/Facial Swelling
A periapical (root-tip) abscess is a pocket of infection at the base of a tooth's root. The tooth becomes abscessed after the pulp (nerve) of the tooth becomes infected. A periapical abscess is usually caused by deep decay or an accident (trauma to the tooth involving nerve damage). There may or may not be the presence of pain. As the infection spreads, there may be swelling in the gum tissue near the affected tooth and a fistula, or gum boil, may develop. If the abscessed tooth is a baby tooth and left untreated, damage to the permanent tooth underneath will occur over time.
A more serious problem (cellulitis) may occur with the development of swelling in the jaw or face on the side where the affected tooth is located. If left untreated this swelling can spread upward toward the brain or downward into the neck and in rare cases can become life threatening. If your child appears to have an abscess or facial swelling, please contact Dr. Hsu immediately. A periapically abscessed tooth will require either pulp therapy or an extraction. In many cases, an antibiotic will also be prescribed. If the swelling is large (easily visible simply by looking at the face) and your child has a fever and you cannot reach Dr. Hsu immediately, please take your child to the hospital ER right away!
Broken tooth
Rinse your child's mouth with warm water and place a cold compress on his/her face to reduce swelling. If there is bleeding from the tooth (not gums), or if half or more of the tooth is broken off, visit Dr. Hsu right away. If your child's broken tooth fragment(s) are found, please bring them with you.
Bruised Tooth
Sometimes when your child bumps their upper front tooth hard enough but does not break or knock tooth out, the tooth starts to change to a darker color over the next several weeks. After that, the tooth may get lighter again in color although never return to its original color. Your child has basically bruised his/her tooth. Unless your child's tooth becomes abscessed (swollen on the gums above the tooth) or starts to hurt a lot, nothing needs to be done. Lift your child's upper lip to check the tooth and gums periodically, especially if there is pain. If you see a bump, swelling or otherwise abnormal appearance of the gums, please call our office.
Cold Sores/Canker Sores
These occur periodically with some children and can often be quite uncomfortable and painful. They usually last a couple of weeks and then go away on their own. There are over-the-counter medications available to help relieve your child's unpleasant symptoms. If quicker relief is desired, let Dr. Hsu use his laser too quickly and painlessly heal your child's cold sores and canker sores and stop the pain immediately!
Debris Caught Between Teeth
Try using dental floss to remove the debris stuck between your child's teeth. If needed, tie a knot in the floss to aid in pushing the object out. Don't try using a sharp object or knife. If flossing doesn't work, call Dr. Hsu for assistance.
Toothaches
Use a toothbrush to clean your child's tooth and surrounding area thoroughly. If there is debris between your child's teeth, use dental floss to try to loosen it. Then instruct your child to rinse vigorously with warm salt water. Feel free to manage any pain your child feels with acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin). DO NOT PLACE ASPIRIN ON THE GUMS NEXT TO THE ACHING TOOTH! Aspirin will burn gum tissue. If the pain worsens or becomes severe, please call Dr. Hsu.
Broken Space Maintainer/Appliance
If your child's broken or loose space maintainer or appliance can be easily removed, please do so. If not, please call Dr. Hsu right away. If your child has a broken orthodontic appliance and a wire is protruding and irritating his/her gums or cheek, cover the protruding wire with a cotton ball, gauze or chewing gum. If the wire is stuck in your child's gums, cheek, or tongue, please don't try to remove it. Take your child to see Dr. Hsu or the orthodontist immediately.
Note: Feel at ease knowing Dr. Hsu is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to respond to your emergency calls. If he is away on vacation, or at a seminar, your call will be quickly answered by one of his knowledgeable colleagues. If the emergency occurs during regular business hours, please call our office as early as possible at (916) 434-6220.
A periapical (root-tip) abscess is a pocket of infection at the base of a tooth's root. The tooth becomes abscessed after the pulp (nerve) of the tooth becomes infected. A periapical abscess is usually caused by deep decay or an accident (trauma to the tooth involving nerve damage). There may or may not be the presence of pain. As the infection spreads there may be swelling in the gum tissue near the affected tooth and a fistula or gum boil may develop. If the abscessed tooth is a baby tooth and left untreated, damage to the permanent tooth underneath will occur over time. A more serious problem (cellulitis) may be the development of swelling in the jaw or face on the side where the affected tooth is located. If left untreated this swelling can spread upward toward the brain or downward into the neck and in rare cases can become life threatening. If your child appears to have an abscess or facial swelling, please contact Dr. Hsu immediately. A periapically abscessed tooth will require either pulp therapy, or an extraction. In many cases, an antibiotic will also be prescribed. If the swelling is large (easily visible simply by looking at the face) and your child has a fever and you cannot reach Dr. Hsu (for whatever reason), please take your child to the hospital ER immediately!
Broken tooth
Rinse mouth with warm water and place cold compress on face to reduce swelling. If there is bleeding from the tooth (not gums), or if half or more of the tooth is broken off, visit the dentist right away. If broken tooth fragment(s) are found, please bring them with you.
Bruised Tooth
Sometimes when your child bumps their upper front tooth hard enough, but does not break or knock tooth out; you'll notice the tooth start to change to a darker color over the next several weeks. After that, the tooth may get lighter again in color although never return to its original color. This is basically a bruised tooth. Unless the tooth becomes abcessed (swollen on the gums above the tooth) or starts to hurt a lot, nothing needs to be done. Lift the upper lip to check the tooth and gums periodically, especially if there is pain. If you see a bump or swelling or otherwise abnormal appearance of the gums, please call our office.
Cold Sores/Canker Sores
These occur periodically with some children and can often be quite uncomfortable and painful. They usually last a couple of weeks and then go away on their own. There are over-the-counter medications available to help relieve the unpleasant symptoms. If quicker relief is desired, Dr. Hsu can use his laser to quickly and painlessly heal cold sores and canker sores and the pain stops immediately!
Debris Caught Between Teeth
Try using dental floss to remove the debris stuck between the teeth. You can tie a knot in the floss to aid in pushing the object out. Don't try using a sharp object or knife. If this doesn't work, call Dr. Hsu.
Toothaches
Use a toothbrush to clean the tooth and surrounding area thoroughly. If there is debris between the teeth, use dental floss to try to loosen it. Then rinse vigorously with warm salt water. Pain can be managed with acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin). DO NOT PLACE ASPIRIN ON THE GUMS NEXT TO THE ACHING TOOTH! Aspirin will burn gum tissue. Call Dr. Hsu.
Broken Space Maintainer/Appliance
If the broken or loose space maintainer or appliance can be easily removed, please do so. If not, please call Dr. Hsu right away. If it is a broken orthodontic appliance and a wire is protruding and irritating gums or cheek, you can a cotton ball, gauze or chewing gum to cover the protruding wire. If the wire is stuck in the gums, cheek, or tongue; don't try to remove it. Take your child to see Dr. Hsu or their orthodontist immediately.
Note: Dr. Hsu is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to respond to emergency calls. If he is away on vacation, or at a seminar, he will make sure to have one of his colleagues available to answer calls. If the emergency occurs during regular business hours, please call our office as early as possible.
(916) 434-6220