When a dental emergency strikes, it can be a scary and traumatizing experience for both children and their parents. Whether you have a toddler or teen, the pain and fear associated with a dental emergency can be paralyzing. You need to know where to get immediate care from emergency pediatric dentists in such a critical situation.
At Smile Zone in Yuba City we help both parents and kids stay calm during dental emergencies. We know it’s important to not only address the physical problem as soon as possible, but also to help mitigate the emotional and mental stress as well.
What to Do in a Pediatric Dental Emergency
There are some common emergencies that our pediatric dental patients face, both with baby teeth and permanent teeth. We can offer same-day treatment in most cases to give you the confidence that comes with a professional kids’ dental team always having your back. Be sure to speak with our dental office right away. If your child is experiencing tooth sensitivity do not leave it untreated.
The most common pediatric dental emergencies include:
A knocked out tooth
A broken, chipped, or cracked tooth/teeth
A toothache or infection causing pain
A bitten tongue or lip
A broken jaw (emergency room visit right away!)
An object stuck in the mouth
You can check out the common emergencies page on our website to see what our professionals advise you to do in each of these various dental emergencies.
During an emergency, avoid oral or topical aspirin and any at-home topical pain relief in general. This is because aspirin thins the blood, and directly applying topical aspirin to teeth and gums can actually make pain more severe and may be toxic if swallowed. If you need to give your child something for pain, Children’s Tylenol or Children’s Motrin are much safer solutions that still provide quick pain relief for kids.
Whether a child or teen has broken a tooth during a sporting event, chipped a tooth while using their teeth as tools or chewing hard food, or if they had an unknown infection that caused a tooth to break, we can help! If you aren’t certain whether your child’s situation is indeed an emergency that requires immediate care, give us a call and explain the situation. We will help you remain calm and collected, and together we will determine the next best step moving forward.
Staying Calm During a Child’s Dental Emergency
As a parent it is common to want to be everywhere at all times to keep your child safe. Since that isn’t possible, the best thing you can do is to stay calm, provide reassurance to your child that everything will be okay, and consult with a professional about the situation. Let us know what happened, their pain level, and we will advise you with what to do next.
At Smile Zone, we make sure that you and your little one have the most enjoyable visit possible, even during a dental emergency. We can accommodate a wide variety of schedules. Early morning, late evening appointments, and emergency care is possible even on the weekends.
A Children’s Dental Emergency Example
A third grader, Ryan, once lost a tooth during a playground accident at school. His mother did her best to keep calm and immediately picked him up from school to get dental care. Luckily, the school knew the right thing to do and helped reassure Ryan while he waited for his mom, placing his knocked out tooth into a glass of cold milk hoping to preserve it. They applied a cold compress on his face to soothe his tears and reduce the swelling.
With a caring school staff and a mother who sprang into action to get her son to the dentist right away, the tooth was able to be reattached and was held in place with braces until totally secure in the socket and braces were able to be removed. Overall, what could have been a traumatic experience turned out to be something that built inner strength, with Ryan realizing he had the care of a wonderful support system surrounding him.
Emergency Pediatric Dental Care in Yuba City
If your child is experiencing a dental emergency, or you are unsure if your child’s issue requires immediate medical attention, give us a call at (530) 230-0081 and our pediatric dentistry will be happy to help.
Emergency dental care is not something to be left untreated. Pediatric dental emergencies need to be treated as quickly as possible, and we are here to give parents, caregivers, and children peace of mind and the highest quality service and care.
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