How to Know if Your Child Has a Pediatric Dental Emergency
There’s nothing scarier than when your child has something go wrong with their smile and it reaches dental emergency status. The good news is that our Saginaw, MI, emergency pediatric dentist offers services designed to diagnose and treat the source of your child’s pain as soon as possible.
That being said, not every dental concern is an emergency. Depending on your child’s situation, they may be able to wait a few days for treatment without any ill effects.
Here’s how to recognize a .
Severe Toothache
Your child may be able to wait a few days if they have a mild toothache. But any sharp pain should be reported to our Saginaw pediatric dental office as soon as possible. Likewise, you should also tell us if your child is experiencing prolonged tooth sensitivity to heat and cold.
We won’t know what’s causing the toothache until your child comes in for urgent dental care.
Deep Crack in Your Child’s Tooth
A deep crack in your child’s tooth is not only painful, but will need treatment right away. Depending on the extent of damage, Dr. Yahn may be able to repair the tooth with a dental crown. But if the damage is extensive, we may need to resort to tooth extraction.
It’s important to remember that each child is different but generally speaking, the sooner we’re able to treat your child, the sooner we’ll be able to restore their oral health.
Knocked-Out Tooth
A is a serious pediatric dental emergency. For the best chance of reimplantation, it’s best if your child sees Dr. Yahn within 30 minutes of knocking out an adult tooth. A baby tooth that’s been knocked out is not of the same concern, though it might still be scary for your child.
Follow these instructions if your child has knocked out their tooth:
- Pick up the tooth by the crown (the chewing surface), NOT the root. Picking up a tooth by the roots may damage the cells needed for re-attachment.
- If the tooth is dirty, gently rinse with water. Do NOT use soap or scrub the tooth. Do NOT wrap the tooth in cloth or a tissue.
- If possible, gently place the tooth back in its socket. Then, have your child gently bite down to keep it in place. If this isn’t possible, submerge the tooth in a container of milk.
- Call our office to let us know you’re on the way and bring your child’s tooth to the appointment.
One of the best is to have your child wear a mouth guard while they play a contact sport, like football. That way, the mouth guard forms a protective barrier over your child’s teeth while they play.
What’s Not a Dental Emergency?
As we mentioned earlier, not all dental concerns are emergencies that need to be seen the same day. For example, your child may be able to wait to see Dr. Yahn if they have a small chip in their tooth that’s not causing any pain.
Under these circumstances, you would still need to call our office so we can restore your child’s smile as soon as possible. Most likely, we’d be able to fit your child into our schedule within a few business days.
Here are some examples of what isn’t considered a dental emergency:
- Lost filling or crown
- Mild toothache
- Small chip in tooth that’s not causing any pain
- Small crack in tooth that’s not causing any pain
- Loose space maintainer
- Loose or exfoliating (being replaced/falling out) baby teeth
If your child has a pediatric dental emergency that’s not on this list, please don’t hesitate to call our office. We’d be more than happy to help you determine your child’s next steps.
See Our Dentist For Your Child’s Emergency
Our pediatric dentist in Saginaw, MI, will do everything in their power to ensure your child leaves our office with a healthy, restored smile. To receive care, please call Great Lakes Bay Pediatric Dentistry today at (989) 792-9201. Have a less urgent issue? Request an appointment with us online.
