What should I do when my child has a toothache?
Children can have pain in their mouths for various reasons.
- Dental abscess is the most common cause. It comes from cavities.
- Mouth ulcers commonly cause mouth pain.
- Infections of the gums are painful.
- Dental eruption may be the cause.
- Your child may have had some trauma to the mouth.
If your child is complaining of pain you need to get professional help.
Call your pediatric dentist and tell the staff that you have an emergency.
If it is after hours call your pediatric dentist on his emergency number or on his home number.
What if a permanent tooth is knocked completely out?
This is the best procedure:
- Grasp the tooth by the crown, rinse it off under running water.
- Put it back in its socket and hold it in place with gentle pressure. The sooner you do this the better. Act quickly.
- Next, call for help!
- Your pediatric dentist will position and stabilized the tooth so that it can heal in place.
It is not helpful to do this for a baby tooth.
Should I take my child to the emergency room for a dental emergency?
Going to the emergency room is usually very expensive and most ER’s are poorly equipped to handle dental emergencies.
An exception to this is facial trauma. Sometimes a child may develop a brain concussion from a blow to the face and teeth. Look for neurological signs like blacking out or vomiting after the accident. If any develop take your child directly to the emergency room. Have the nurse there call your pediatric dentist if the mouth is damaged.