Emergency Dental Care: Tips to Handle a Pediatric Crisis

Emergency dental care can sometimes be unavoidable particularly when children are hurt during play and a dental injury is suspected. In cases where a permanent tooth is knocked off, a tooth replant may be recommended depending on the child's age and oral health. As with most medical emergencies, prevention is key and ensuring safety while at play can help minimize a crisis.

Most parents will agree that when it comes to children there is no telling when disaster strikes. Appropriate emergency dental care can be vital to handling dental injuries particularly in young kids swiftly and sensibly.

Emergency Dental Care for Kids

Unlike your local 24-hour medical center, dentist offices operate regular hours, which make a clinic that offers round the clock service that much more significant. Handling pediatric emergencies can be tricky, especially if the parent is concerned about loss or damage to a child's permanent tooth. In case of any suspected damage to your child's teeth, it first pays to identify if the child has a full set of permanent teeth.

This is particularly important in younger children with some residual milk teeth, so identifying the affected tooth is important. In case of very young children, immediate replanting may not be recommended since this can potentially damage the subsequent development of other permanent teeth.

First Aid Tips

In case of injury, be sure to call in for emergency assistance before administering any kind of first aid to the injured child. Begin by rinsing the child's mouth with clear water, and if a tooth has been completely knocked off then try to gently remove it and clean it with plain water. If the tooth is merely chipped, be sure to remove any fragments before applying a cold compress to help minimize pain and swelling.

If you are concerned about the loss of the natural teeth, try replacing the tooth back into the child's jaw and hold it in place with a cool wash cloth, but often the child may be in too much distress to allow this. The best alternative is to preserve the tooth or the broken fragment in a small cup with some cold milk or water. Your pediatric dentist may be able to judge if the tooth is indeed well preserved or may suggest an artificial replacement implant.

Prevention

There is many a stumble in a child's life, and active sports enthusiasts may be more prone to frequent bumps and wounds. Yet, severe head trauma and injuries to the oral cavity can have long standing consequences. Serious injuries that require immediate medical attention are therefore best avoided by setting up some basic rules when it comes to safe play. For instance, you could safeguard your child from injuries to the jaw and the head by ensuring that they wear protective head gear and possibly even a mouth guard. High-risk sports are not the only activities that may cause trauma, and even a seemingly harmless baseball game can be unsafe.

Aside from protection at play, be sure to child-proof your home from potential fall risks and electrical injuries. Installing quality car seats and ensuring that older children are taught the value of seat belts can also make a difference. In addition to keeping up high safety standards, the impact of regular dental care cannot be overemphasized, and can in fact be a guide to putting in place precautionary strategies that are age appropriate yet pragmatic.

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