Emergency Dentistry

What is a Dental Emergency?

Like any medical emergencies, dental emergencies require immediate quality care. If there is a great deal of pain, visible swelling, discolored teeth or gums, a tooth has been broken or knocked out, or your child has experienced other mouth or jaw trauma affecting teeth or gums, seek emergency dental treatment as soon as possible.

Sports impact, chewing hard food, using teeth as tools, and infections can all result in dental emergencies.

If you aren’t sure whether your child’s situation is an emergency, call us and together we will determine the next step. Above all, try to stay calm, and remember no parent can be everywhere all the time. Caring Tree Children’s Dentistry is here to help!

What To Do in a Dental Emergency

Here are some instructions to help with specific situations that may help save your child’s tooth or teeth by preserving the tooth or tooth pieces and surrounding affected tissues. Use your best judgment to determine whether you should go to the emergency room before calling Dr. Kucera – you can always call us from the hospital – but please call Caring Tree Children’s Dentistry as soon as you can.

Toothache: Apply cold compress; rinse with warm salt water. Gently floss to remove food or object caught between teeth.
Broken/Chipped/Cracked Tooth or Teeth: Rinse mouth with warm water; apply cold compress. Keep missing tooth and pieces in wet towel. Bring to Dr. K as soon as possible.
Tooth Knocked Out: Keep tooth moist and hold it in its original place until you see Dr. K. If not possible, keep tooth in between the cheek and gums, or in milk. Try not to touch the tooth root. Sometimes permanent teeth can be saved if you act quickly. Knocked-out baby teeth are less likely to be re-implanted, but the jaw should still be assessed for damage as soon as possible.
Bitten Lip or Tongue: Rinse mouth with warm water; apply cold compress. If discoloration or bleeding persists, call Dr. Kucera immediately.
Object Stuck in Mouth: Gently remove object with floss-never anything sharp or pointed. If unsuccessful, let Dr. K remove object.
Broken Jaw: As with any significant blow to head or face, go to the emergency room right away. Use cold compresses to reduce swelling. If teeth are compromised, please call Dr. K from hospital.
Avoid Oral or Topical Aspirin and At-Home Topical Pain Relief in General. Aspirin thins the blood, and direct topical application of aspirin can make tooth and gum pain more severe. Other topical medicine may be toxic if swallowed. Children’s Motrin or Tylenol taken orally is a much safer solution.

Ways to Prevent Dental Emergencies

Make sure your child wears a mouthguard when participating in sports or recreational activities with the potential for injury.
Make sure your child avoids chewing ice, popcorn kernels, hard candy, or any other substance that could be harder than their teeth.
Tell your child to use scissors – NEVER teeth – to cut things, and not to use their teeth to open things, either!

If Your Child Has a Dental Emergency

If your child has a dental emergency during office hours, bring them to our office immediately. If there is a dental emergency outside office hours, call our number and follow the instructions. Dr. Michelle Kucera at Caring Tree Children’s Dentistry is on call for dental emergencies after hours.