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Pediatric dentists receive special training and education to handle dental emergencies in toddlers and kids!
Before contacting your pediatric dentist, you'll have to analyze the situation to determine whether it’s a dental emergency. Determine the severity of the condition and carry out first aid dental care if necessary. If it’s a dental emergency, contact an emergency dentist right away or head straight to an emergency dental clinic. If you’re unsure if the situation qualifies an emergency, give us a call at (301) 664-4220 just to be safe.
The severity of the dental emergency will determine when the dentist will schedule an emergency. Most dentists schedule an appointment right away for serious cases, but some cases can wait a few hours. Once at the dentist’s office, the dentist will examine your child’s teeth and oral cavity to determine the gravity of the situation. Depending on the emergency, they may take x-rays and images of your child’s teeth.
The dentist will proceed to create a treatment plan once they have a firm grasp of the situation. The treatment plan will detail the dental emergency, suggest possible treatment options, and settle on the best one. It also outlines the procedure of how they’ll conduct the treatment. With the treatment plan in place, the dentist will administer the treatment as described in the plan. Examples of emergency dental treatment may include tooth extraction, draining abscesses, and temporary fillings
After treatment, the dentist will give you instructions on how to care for your child’s teeth and gums. They may also prescribe antibiotics to prevent bacterial infections and pain medication to help with pain and discomfort. It’s important to follow the dentist’s instructions to the letter for faster recuperation.
Severe toothaches are dental emergencies requiring prompt attention. Over-the-counter pain medication doesn’t help with severe toothaches from extensive decay or other reasons. Instead, you’ll need emergency dental attention to stop the pain once and for all and keep it from worsening.
Damaged teeth can cause serious pain and discomfort that normal pain medications won’t help with. They also expose sensitive areas of the tooth to bacterial and fungal infections. Once infected, the bacteria spreads and infects the rest of the teeth, which may necessitate an extraction. Emergency dentistry helps stop the pain and prevent the infection of the damaged tooth.
Knocking out a tooth can be excruciatingly painful and scary for children, and often require an emergency dental visit. It’s possible to save your child’s knocked-out tooth (if it’s an adult tooth that is) if you can get to the dentist within 60 minutes. If you can’t, visiting the dentist still gives you a chance to salvage the tooth or prevent the situation from worsening. The dentist will put in place measures to conserve the tooth and stop the pain associated with tooth loss.
Emergency pediatric dentists also work as regular dentists, handling regular dental issues aside from emergencies!
Accidents happen, and if your child knocks out a tooth, the best course of action is to remain calm, and to act quickly. A natural tooth can only be reattached successfully within the first few hours of it being knocked out. If you can find the tooth, rinse it off and place it in a small container of cold milk, and get to the dentist right away. Call us at (301) 664-4220 so we can prepare for your visit, and restore your child’s smile!
If your child cracks or chips a tooth, have them rinse their mouth with warm water, and apply a cold compress to reduce swelling. In the case of a chipped tooth, bring the chipped piece if you’re able to locate it. Come to our office right away, and we will assess your child’s injury to ensure it is not anything more severe, and provide treatment options to relieve their pain and restore their smile.
We recommend avoiding hard, sticky foods such as caramel apples and peanut brittle to keep your child's teeth strong and free from any orthodontic or dental issues. If your child chews ice or pencils, these are habits to break now to avoid problematic dental emergencies in the future.
When it comes to the health of you and your child, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Give us a call at (301) 664-4220 and one of our team members will help decide if a visit to the office is necessary, and if not, they’ll give you recommendations on home treatments.
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