3 Steps When Your Child Chips a Tooth
Does this scenario sound familiar? One moment your child is playing with friends as happy as can be and the next they’ve come running and crying to your feet saying that their tooth hurts. You look down in horror as you see Jimmy’s tooth is chipped and his mouth is bleeding. You frantically call your child’s local dentist, but in the back of your mind you’re wondering if you are doing the right thing or taking the appropriate precautionary steps. Most families consider a cracked, chipped, or broken tooth as one of the scariest experiences a parent can experience, but as long as you follow these three simple steps when your child chips a tooth there is nothing to fear. Keep in mind that there are several steps that parents must take right away before their child’s emergency oral health visit.
Step 1: Contact your child’s dentist right away.
Schedule an immediate appointment with a children’s emergency dentist. Find and collect the tooth fragments to bring to your scheduled appointment. Ask for instructions regarding your particular oral health emergency and for take home instructions regarding the lifestyle changes necessary after your child’s tooth has been fixed. Make sure that your child’s tooth will not require any additional intervention or treatment as long as your child properly adjusts his or her diet and lifestyle to remedy the situation. Ensure that your child’s pediatric dental specialist is skilled in dental emergency and early to late infant oral care. Pick oral health experts who can perform dental x-rays as well as radiographs just in case further examination of tooth damage is needed.
Step 2: Apply a cold compress immediately
The first plan of action you should take when your child’s tooth is damaged is to wash out the child’s mouth. Wrap ice or a cold compress around your child’s face to immediately reduce mouth or gum swelling while rinsing your child’s mouth with cold water. After the tooth is in full view you need to determine if the tooth is chipped or knocked-out, so that the dentist can provide the proper instructions, as the two cases require very different plans and methods. While on your way to the local dentist ensure that your child holds a piece of gauze over the damaged area to keep the tooth or gums from bleeding, to manage the child’s pain, and to keep them from accidentally damaging the area further.
Step 3: Collect all missing tooth fragments
Bring the child’s tooth fragment in with you to the dentist so that the tooth can be fully reconstructed or so that it can be properly reshaped. The pediatric dental specialist will choose the best plan of action from a wide selection of treatment plans from recontouring or reattaching the tooth fragment. The key to remedying a chipped tooth is to follow the instructions of a trusted local dentist. All Stars Dentistry is available to be scheduled for all types of emergencies at 770-292-9441. Schedule an emergency consultation with our pediatric dental specialists located in Cumming, GA today.
