Accidents do happen. Kids get hurt, whether playing around or while participating in a sport. Dental injuries can happen as a result of this. Chipped teeth, or worse, dislodged or knocked out teeth are considered traumatic dental injuries. If this happens to your child, we are here to help.
First, you need to know that baby teeth are different from permanent teeth when it comes to an injury. With baby teeth, there is no need to replace a tooth. Your child should still be seen as soon as possible by a pediatric dentist if this occurs, however, to check on the soft tissues (gums, lips, and cheeks) and to discuss whether a space maintainer is needed to help prevent space loss where the place-holder baby tooth is lost. Permanent teeth are handled much differently. If a permanent tooth is knocked out, it can often survive if replaced within 15 minutes. If your child or teen is faced with this experience, it is good to know what to do in this situation.
Injury to a child’s tooth where it is not knocked out should be handled right away by placing gauze on the area and having the child bite down or press down on the gauze. Also, ice should be applied to the outside of the cheek, or the child may be given an ice pop. If the child is in pain, you can give children’s ibuprofen. Then, call your dentist to schedule an appointment.
A teen with a broken or chipped tooth needs to be seen by a dentist right away. Be sure to collect any parts of the tooth that you can and bring them with you to the appointment. Have them rinse their mouth out with warm water right away. It may not be possible to detect if the root/nerve has been exposed and our pediatric dentists will be able to check this and take x-rays to see if there is any damage under the gums. Patching the tooth as soon as possible will greatly reduce your child’s discomfort.
If an adult tooth is knocked completely out, be sure to find the tooth. Do not hold the tooth by the root, but by the crown of the tooth (the part you normally see in the mouth). Place the tooth in a container of milk or your child’s saliva if you are not able to place the tooth back in the socket (without touching the root) and have your teen bite down on a gauze pad to keep it in place. If this cannot be done, have your child bite down on the gauze pad to help stop the bleeding and ibuprofen can be given. Dr. Jeff urges us that, “The key is to get your child to a dentist or an emergency room right away!”
The best way to prevent something like this from happening to your child or teen is to protect your house for toddlers by child proofing dangerous areas. Children and teens need to wear helmets while riding bikes and skateboards, and mouth guards are a must for contact sports. If you have any questions, please contact us, we are here to help!
About Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Specialists of Michigan, the offices of Drs. Delaney, Plunkett, Ralstrom, Makowski, Thanasas, Ker, and Associates
Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Specialists of Michigan have specialized in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics since 1968. Our family-friendly office gives patients and families a more comfortable and consistent experience with dentistry from the very beginning. The pediatric dentists treat children from newborn to 18 years of age while our orthodontists provide care for both children and adults, including being an Invisalign preferred provider. The ability to treat all special needs patients reaches beyond our facility, which has treatment rooms available for children who require additional privacy. Valued hospital affiliations allow dental services to be performed at DMC Children’s Hospital and St. John’s Hospital Macomb when needed. Our specialists are also on staff at Henry Ford and Beaumont hospitals.
