What is considered to be a dental emergency?
Maintaining our children’s dental and oral health is crucial to their quality of life, but urgent dental care is often unavoidable.
A pediatric dental issue is typically classified as a dental emergency when it requires immediate treatment in order to prevent further damage to the mouth or to alleviate extreme pain and discomfort.
Did you know: Many dental insurances cover all or some emergency dental services? Contact us to learn more about your specific coverage.
Common Pediatric Emergencies
Knocked out baby tooth or permanent tooth
One of the most common instances of pediatric dental emergency is the loss of a tooth due to a blow or other trauma. It’s most commonly seen in children who play sports.
While pediatric dentists don’t typically try to save a knocked out baby tooth, the good news is, a permanent tooth can sometimes be reimplanted after it’s knocked out, provided the tooth itself isn’t damaged.
When a permanent tooth is knocked out, it’s important to try to preserve the tooth while you make your way to the dentist:
- Make sure your child is not in any harm after the blow that knocked the tooth out.
- Take care handling the tooth so you don’t damage the roots.
- Rinse the tooth in room temperature water.
- Submerge the tooth in a portable jar filled with either saliva, cold milk, or an over the counter tooth preservation product.
Extreme toothache or sensitivity
When a child is experiencing severe pain or sensitivity in a tooth, this is typically a sign that the tooth is infected. If the pain is minor, it could be as simple as a piece of food stuck between two teeth. Rinse out your child’s mouth and try to gently floss the area they are experiencing pain in. If no food particles or objects emerge from flossing, the issue is likely a cavity, an abscess, or some other dental issue.
Dental abscess
A dental abscess is an infection that grows on the inside of a tooth. It’s usually the result of an untreated cavity and extreme cases present with a variety of symptoms, including:
- Constant, severe tooth pain and sensitivity
- Swelling in the face
- Swollen neck, jaw, or lymph nodes
- Fever
A pediatric emergency dentist can determine what is causing the symptoms as well as a course of emergency dental treatment to resolve the problem.
Loose or lost filling
Fillings can get dislodged or loosened, and eventually fall out completely. This exposes the raw tooth matter underneath the filling, putting it at risk of bacteria growth, decay, and infection. A lost or loose filling presents with heightened tooth sensitivity and possibly even pain, and a damaged or missing filling needs to be replaced quickly.
Stuck objects
If you find that a piece of food or debris of some sort is lodged in your child’s teeth, it needs to be removed as soon as possible. Gently floss the area to see if the object dislodges. If it won’t come out, visit the dentist immediately so they can remove it safely.
Pediatric Emergency FAQs
Can the emergency room help with a tooth?
Emergency rooms are equipped to deal with life-threatening injuries and illnesses. If your child’s dental issue is accompanied by severe swelling, high fever, or uncontrolled bleeding, it’s necessary to call 911 or visit an emergency room to address those symptoms safely.
Once your child is out of the woods with regard to emergency care, you’ll need to visit the dentist to address the dental issue fully. Emergency rooms can’t address most dental problems since they don’t typically have dentists on staff.
When should a pediatric tooth be removed?
A baby tooth will often be removed, but only if the damage is serious enough to cause risks like tooth decay or infection. An injury to the face that cracks, chips, or otherwise damages your child’s baby tooth may result in an extraction being performed by a pediatric emergency dentist.