With daily care, your child’s teeth will grow in beautifully and normally. However, your Utah pediatric dentist knows all too well that accidents happen. Here are three common emergencies and how to deal with them immediately.
My child’s tooth fell out!
If your child is still losing her baby teeth, this is, of course, a normal part of growing up. But if one of your child’s adult teeth is knocked out, the procedure is simple:
- First, take the tooth by the crown and rinse the root with water. Don’t scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments!
- Place the tooth back in its socket. If that simply hurts too much, place the tooth in a cup of milk.
- Head immediately to the dentist.
My child’s tooth broke!
This is an emergency no matter how old your child may be. Here’s how to deal with it:
- Rinse her mouth with warm water to cleanse the area.
- Apply a cold compress to your child’s mouth. A cold compress can easily be made by taking an ice pack and wrapping it in a washcloth. This helps reduce swelling and eases the pain.
- Get to the dentist’s office right away.
My child bit her lip/tongue!
- If the area is bleeding, clean it out gently with a soft cloth.
- Apply a cold compress to the injured area. This will prevent swelling and resultant “fat lip” problem.
- Most often, the bleeding won’t last long. However, if bleeding is severe or doesn’t stop after a few minutes, head to the emergency room.
