What Is Emergency Pediatric Dentistry?

When it comes to accidents, children are no strangers. And accidents trigger emergencies. When an accident leads to a dental problem, the child requires emergency pediatric dentistry.

Emergency dentistry, or emergency pediatric dentistry, is available at most dental offices around you. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to see a dentist, it is advised that you get in touch with yours. Most pediatric dentists offer emergency dental services – because care delayed is care denied.

Why Should You Choose An Emergency Dentist For Your Kids?

Having an emergency dentist is pretty beneficial, especially when your child encounters a sudden dental issue. It could be a cracked tooth, uncontrolled bleeding, or even a knocked-out tooth. To receive timely and proper care, choosing an emergency dentist is important.

You wouldn’t want to be caught off-guard outside of business hours with a dental problem. Hence, emergency dentistry is an essential part of the dental field.

What Are The Common Cases Where Emergency Pediatric Dentistry Is Required?

Little children are accident-magnets. Maybe they’ve hurt themselves during playtime, or have tripped and fallen over, or maybe they’re just a little clumsy. A lot of incidences can lead to them getting hurt in the mouth, thereby causing problems with their teeth and other oral structures.

Some of the most common emergency dentistry cases are –  

Severe Toothache

Toothaches can occur in a child at any age. If the pain is persistent, get in touch with Norwood Dental to assess the situation. Some of the usual causes of toothache include – 

• A tooth fracture
• Tooth decay
• Trauma to the tooth
• Eruption of the wisdom tooth in adolescent kids

While you’re waiting for your dentist, clean the affected area and check for any impacted food particles. Remove them using a clean finger, toothbrush, or a piece of dental floss. You can also apply a cold compress to reduce any swelling.

Inflammation

Swelling or inflammation in the gums and other soft tissues can arise due to various reasons. But the most common one in children is tooth decay. Early childhood caries is a rather common infectious disease, affecting numerous children in the United States.

When a primary tooth starts to decay, most people tend to ignore it because they think it’s no big deal since the tooth will eventually shed. However, if a primary tooth gets decayed, the infection progresses to the permanent tooth, thereby damaging the tooth before the eruption.

If your child’s tooth is starting to show signs of decay, visit your emergency dentist whenever you can.

Other reasons for inflammation are trauma, erupting teeth, gum disease, etc. No matter the reason, if you notice inflammation, call your dentist.

Uncontrolled Bleeding

Usually, in cases of trauma, a child might experience uncontrolled bleeding. Should this happen, apply pressure to the area where the bleeding is occurring using a clean towel. Proceed to call your emergency dentist at Norwood Dental to get to the root of the cause.

Bleeding that isn’t controlled is a serious emergency. Do not waste any time in getting in touch with an office that provides emergency pediatric dentistry. If you are unaware of any office, head to the nearest emergency room.

Dental Avulsion (Knocked-Out Tooth)

If your child accidentally knocks their tooth out, waste no time in contacting your pediatric dentist at Norwood Dental. This is because time plays a huge role in whether or not the tooth can be salvaged. 

As a general rule, dentists do not attempt to re-implant primary teeth as it may damage the tooth bud. This can cause further damage to the permanent tooth that is yet to emerge.

A permanent tooth, however, is always re-implanted unless the injury has damaged the tooth beyond repair. A successful re-implantation of a tooth that has been knocked out occurs if the treatment is performed within an hour of the avulsion.

If your child has knocked their tooth out of their mouth completely –

• Recover the tooth by the crown. Do not, under any circumstance, touch the root. A crown is the tooth’s part that you see in the oral cavity.
• Run the tooth under running water without scraping or scrubbing it. 
• Do not attempt to insert a baby tooth into its original socket. However, you can do so for a permanent tooth without excessive pressure. You can also dunk the tooth into a glass of milk to keep it viable. 
• Call your pediatric emergency dentist as soon as possible.

Crown Fracture (Broken Tooth)

In most cases, when a child suffers trauma to the mouth, the crown of the tooth is affected. The emergency dentistry staff at Norwood Dental can assess the severity of the crown fracture with the help of dental X-rays.

However, any change in the tooth color is an emergency sign.

Minor fractures are taken care of by sealant application or tooth bonding. On the other hand, severe fractures may require root canal treatments. The jagged enamel of the fractured tooth can irritate the soft tissues, causing inflammation and infection.

Using warm water, rinse the child’s mouth. Place a moist and cold compress on the area that is affected. Pack the tooth with a wet paper towel and call your emergency dentist.

Does Norwood Dental Provide Emergency Dentistry Services?

The dental team at Norwood Dental is more than happy to assist during your (or your child’s) time of need. If you encounter a dental emergency and require our services, simply give us a call at (952) 467-3518. You can also fill this form to request an appointment. 

Doctors Ross and Bussler are the in-house experts at Norwood Dental. And with their exceptional skills, they provide the highest quality of dental care without compromising on their patient’s comfort. Paired with the modern tech at our office, patients leave their appointments with a sparkling and discomfort-free smile on their faces.

Norwood Dental also provides same-day emergency dental services. Please do not hesitate to call us if your child is experiencing some dental discomfort.