Downey Park Family Dentistry is excited to announce that our offices are reopen to serve our community. We are taking additional special measures to ensure the health and safety of our patients and team, and appreciate your understanding that things will look and function a bit differently in our office for the time being.
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As a parent, it pays to be prepared. Out of an abundance of caution, you may be wondering what counts as a dental emergency, or what children’s dental emergencies are the most common for kids. First Smiles Children’s Dentistry will walk you through the 5 most common dental emergencies that may affect your child.
When kids play around, accidents happen. If your child slips and falls, hits something with their mouth, or is hit in the face, they could break, chip, or fracture a tooth. Broken teeth are a serious dental emergency.
Not only do broken teeth cause pain and discomfort, but they're susceptible to infection. If your child’s tooth is broken, you should contact First Smiles Children’s Dentistry right away for a consultation with Dr. Chris Ha.
Whether it’s a baby tooth or an adult tooth, a knocked-out tooth is a serious dental emergency. If your child knocks out a baby tooth, it may not be necessary to replace it. However, Dr. Ha may recommend a space maintainer. This is a device that keeps nearby teeth from shifting toward the empty space, and it ensures proper oral development.
If your child knocks out an adult tooth, it must be treated within 1-2 hours to save it. Grab the tooth by the top (the crown) and rinse it off, then put it in a container of cold milk. Call First Smiles Children’s Dentistry immediately for treatment from Dr. Ha. We’ll see you ASAP to replace your child’s tooth.
Sometimes, a tooth may be loosened without being knocked out. If this is a baby tooth that was close to falling out naturally, it may be fine as long as your child is comfortable and out of pain. If it falls a bit too early, your child may need a space maintainer.
For adult teeth, Dr. Ha can typically splint the loose tooth to the nearby teeth, which allows it to heal and re-attach to the oral tissue. However, time is of the essence. Like a knocked-out tooth, your child’s tooth must be splinted as soon as possible to give it the best chance of surviving.
Damage to oral tissues like the tongue, lips, and cheeks can be caused by slips, falls, horseplay, and other accidents. If your child’s mouth is bleeding severely and the cut looks deep, you may need to make a trip to the emergency room at your local hospital for stitches. Our dental team can guide you, so please give us a call for advice or go directly to your local emergency room.
Toothaches can be caused by deep cavities or even a tooth infection. Pain and swelling is the body’s way of saying that something is wrong, so if your child is complaining of a sore tooth or you notice swelling or a ‘bubble’ on the gum, you should call the office to schedule to see Dr. Ha as soon as you can so he can address your child’s tooth pain issue.
At First Smiles Children’s Dentistry, Dr. Chris Ha specializes in emergency dentistry for children in Modesto. Accidents happen, and our child-friendly team is here to get your child out of pain, restore their smile, and get them back to their daily routine. Give us a call at (209) 343-3500 to schedule an emergency appointment, or feel free to contact us with any questions you have about our emergency dentistry services in Modesto.
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