Prepare Yourself For Pediatric Dental Emergencies

Do you know what to do if your child should experience a dental emergency? What do you do if your child is hit in the mouth with a baseball or soccer ball? What do you do if your child falls on his or her face and knocks the front teeth out? Here, you will learn how to handle situations such as these.

Control Your Reaction

In many cases, your reaction will have a significant impact on the way your child handles an injury. If you panic or show expressions of freight or great concern, your child will also react with the same emotions. If you can keep calm, you have a better chance of keeping your child calm throughout the situation.

Get Immediate Medical Treatment for Head Injuries

If your child experienced any type of blow to the head, be sure to take him or her to the emergency room or pediatrician immediately. You do not want to overlook the potential concussion while trying to deal with the dental injuries that have been sustained. Head injuries should be treated before dental injuries.

Control the Bleeding

One thing that you should always have in your home first aid kit is clean, sterile gauze. When a dental injury causes bleeding, pack the area with clean gauze until the bleeding begins to slow. After you have gained control of the bleeding, examine the area. Look to see if your child's teeth have been knocked loose or knocked out completely. If the tooth is missing, do your best to locate it.

Teeth that have been knocked out could possibly be put back in place by your dentist. You must act quickly to get the tooth put in cold milk and make it in for an emergency dental appointment.

Note: Never touch a tooth by the root. Only handle the tooth by the crown or you risk damaging the root, which can eliminate the chance of getting it put back in place.

Manage the Swelling

Ice packs should be another thing readily available in your home first aid kit. As soon as the accident occurs, put ice on your child's face to try to limit the amount of swelling that occurs. The ice will not only help to keep the swelling down, but it will also help to manage the pain.

Emergency dental situations require fast actions. Knowing what to do ahead of time can help to save your child's tooth in such an instance. Keep the number of an emergency dental office like Dr. Jeffery Spilman DDS on hand, so you are prepared for these unfortunate incidents.


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