Are You Prepared if Your Child has a Dental Emergency?

Many children experience a dental emergency, from injuries to a painful abscessed tooth, at some point while growing up. Would you know what to do if your child broke a tooth or had a tooth knocked out while playing outdoors? What if they had a bad toothache in the middle of the night and couldn’t get to the dentist until the next day? Knowing what to do can lessen the pain and save a tooth that might otherwise be lost.

Who You Gonna Call

Keep your child’s dental office phone number and an emergency number where the dentist can be reached after hours with other emergency numbers, such as your family doctor, or fire and police departments. Consider putting these numbers in your phone or posting them on refrigerator or inside a kitchen cabinet door for quick and easy access.

Always call your child’s dentist immediately for specific instructions on how to handle a dental emergency.

What to Do for a Common Dental Emergency

Toothache

Rinse the mouth with warm water to clean it out. Gently use dental floss or an interdental cleaner to remove any food or other debris caught between the teeth. Never put aspirin or any other painkiller against the gums near the aching tooth. This could burn gum tissue. If the toothache persists, try to see the dentist. Don’t rely on painkillers. They may temporarily relieve pain, but your dentist should evaluate the condition.

Knocked-Out (Avulsed) Tooth

Try to find the tooth! This may not be as easy as you think if the injury took place on a playground, basketball court, or while skateboarding, so try to stay calm. Hold the tooth by the crown and rinse the root in water if the tooth is dirty. Don’t scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If possible, gently insert and hold the tooth in the socket while you head to the dentist. If that’s not possible, put the tooth in a cup of milk and take it to the dentist. Time is critical for successful re-implantation, so try to get to the dentist immediately.

Broken Tooth

Rinse the mouth with warm water to clean the area. If possible, find the broken piece and bring to the dentist. Use cold compresses on the outside of the cheek to help reduce the swelling.

Tongue and Lip Bites or Wounds

Clean the area gently with a clean cloth and apply cold compresses to reduce any swelling and control bleeding. If you can’t control the bleeding, go to a hospital emergency room or clinic.

Objects Caught Between Teeth

Try to gently remove the object with dental floss. Never use a sharp instrument to remove objects that are stuck between the teeth. If you can’t dislodge the object with floss, contact your dentist.

Possible Broken Jaw

Apply cold compresses to control swelling. Get to the hospital emergency room immediately.

Our Pediatric Dental Clinic

Primary Children’s Hospital has a modern pediatric dental clinic that provides primary and specialty care for infants, children and adolescents from birth through 17 years, and children with special needs from birth through 21 years. To learn more about the clinic, visit our website.