When a dental emergency arises, we have you covered.
Just call our office and we can talk you through any emergency; if it’s after business hours, you can still call our office to be routed to an on-call doctor. If a child experiences head trauma, it’s important to seek immediate medical attention first and then call our office to evaluate teeth.
Emergency dental care is often needed to repair a structural damage to a tooth, to quickly relieve a child’s oral pain or to address other challenges that could worsen if left untreated.
A variety of dental emergencies can happen at moment’s notice, and prompt action is necessary to minimize in-depth treatments and complications - see the details below for immediate action to take. These can include:
Broken or Fractured Tooth
Dental Abscess
Dental Abscess
Broken or Fractured Teeth
A broken or fractured tooth can happen to anyone, anytime. This can be the result of sports or physical activities, but can also happen during an accidental fall or even a “head bump” with another individual while playing. If a child experiences broken or fractured teeth, take the following steps:
Gently gather as many of the teeth fragments as possible.
Rinse the mouth with water and apply a cold compress to reduce swelling.
If there is dirt or debris on the tooth fragment, gently rinse it in lukewarm water for a few seconds.
Place the fragments in whole milk until you arrive at the dentist. If whole milk isn’t available at the time, place the fragments in the child’s saliva (not water) to prevent drying.
Call our office to schedule an emergency appointment.
New Patients & Emergency Appointments Welcome!
Knocked-Out Teeth
Time is of the essence when it comes to a knocked-out tooth! It’s important to call our office right away and speak to one of our doctors, as our recommendations may be different for each child. As a general guideline, you should:
BABY TOOTH - Do not re-implant the tooth back into the socket because it may cause damage to the permanent tooth underneath if it has started developing.
PERMANENT TOOTH - If you’re not worried about him/her swallowing the tooth, it is best to rinse the tooth with cool water and place it back into the socket as soon as possible – within 30 minutes for the best chances of it taking. Hold it in the socket with a clean washcloth or gauze. If you’re not able to place the tooth back in the socket, place it in a clean container with cold milk - or in the child’s saliva if milk is not available. Do not place the tooth in water. Call us right away – a reinserted tooth needs immediate dental care.
Dental Abscess
If your child has an abscessed tooth, it will have a very painful infection in the root. If your child complains of a toothache, and also has a fever, swollen gums and a bad taste in his/her mouth, call us right away so we can help prevent the infection from spreading to other areas of the child’s body.
Tooth Concussion
A tooth concussion occurs when the supporting structures of the tooth are damaged, but the tooth itself is intact and not at risk of loosening or coming out. Call us right away so we can diagnose and evaluate tooth concussions and come up with a treatment plan if needed.
Our pediatric specialists can help!
When a tooth emergency strikes, our team of pediatric dental specialists will be standing by to help! Whether you’re looking for a quick answer on proper ways to handle a broken tooth, or need to schedule an appointment to repair an injured tooth, we’ll be here to help! Give us a call to ask questions and schedule your emergency appointment. Lancaster Pediatric Dentistry is dedicated to making dental visits easy, fun and enjoyable for kids of all ages.
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