Although encouraging your child to brush and floss their teeth twice daily can go a long way toward avoiding oral issues, there’s unfortunately no guarantee that they’ll never have a dental emergency.
For instance, they might fall off a swing at the playground or take a blow to the face during a close-contact physical activity, like team sports or martial arts, and lose a tooth. Then, you must act quickly to get help to try to save their smile. Continue reading to learn about 3 steps to take to handle this type of urgent issue!
Step #1: Find and Store the Tooth
There’s a chance that your child’s pediatric dentist in Naperville can put their tooth back in the socket to reintegrate with the jaw, but only if it’s still in good condition, you act quickly, and you handle the tooth carefully.
For example, once you’ve located it, only handle it by the crown (tooth-shaped portion) to avoid damaging the still-viable cells on the roots. Then, you can rinse it gently with water to remove dirt and debris, and store it in an airtight Ziploc bag or container with a small amount of your kid’s saliva or milk to preserve it until you arrive at the dentist’s office for your child’s emergency appointment.
Step #2: Rinse Your Child’s Mouth
Then, depending on what happened, your child’s mouth might contain dirt, blood, or other debris that can contribute to potential side effects, like an infection. Thankfully, you can help avoid this by having them gently rinse their mouth with water, making sure to spit it out rather than swallow it.
You might even try mixing about ½ tsp of salt into their glass and stirring until it dissolves, which can help naturally disinfect their mouth and alleviate aches and inflammation.
Step #3: Address Discomfort
Many dentists offer same-day visits so your family may not have to wait long for relief. But if your child is hurting, there are things you can do to help ease their discomfort in the meantime.
For instance, you can try applying a covered ice pack to the sore side of their face for about 15-minutes at a time to induce a temporary, numbing reprieve. You might also give them the recommended dose of an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as children’s acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Then, if you haven’t already done so, it’s time to contact your family’s pediatric dentist to let them know what happened. They’ll schedule an appropriate time to examine your kid’s condition and provide an appropriate treatment plan based on their findings.
About the Practice
At Tic Tac Tooth Pediatric Dentistry, your child benefits from a team of experts eager to help them build a happy, healthy smile. Our board-certified providers collaborate to offer a complete menu of services, including same-day emergency visits, to help guide, protect, or repair still-developing teeth and gums. They take the time to get to know your child and their unique needs, then customize services using state-of-the-art technology to deliver more comfortable, accurate treatment results. You can request an appointment on the website or call (630) 995-3393.