Prepare for Dental Emergencies When the Kids Come Home for the Summer
Dental emergencies can happen to anyone. Children who are out of school for the summer are out on the sidewalks and driveways with skateboards, scooters, and bikes. With this, dental emergencies are common.
Would you know how to handle such an emergency if your child knocks out or chips a tooth? It’s important to learn important ways to handle a variety of dental emergencies. The steps you take in an emergency could possibly save the affected tooth.
Dental Emergencies: Prepare A Dental Emergency Kit
As in any medical situation, now is the time to prepare for a dental emergency. It’s important to have a dental emergency kit on hand for potential emergencies. If you have a dental emergency at home, or when you travel, you’re the first responder. There are a few basic items you should have on hand to see you through an emergency until you can see your dentist.
Latex disposable gloves
Dental Floss
Gauze Pads
Tweezers
Cotton Swabs
Topical Pain Medication such as DenTek or Orajel
Oral Pain Medications – Tylenol, or Advil
Dental Crown Repair Kit
Dental Filling
Sugar Free gum or wax paraffin
Iodized Salt – ½ teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water to ease infection.
Baggies
Treat the emergency, and then call Dr. Angela S. Evanson, DDS at (720) 409-0008 so she can advise the next course of action for you to take.
Dental Emergencies: What to Do if Your Child Knocks Out a Tooth
If your child loses a tooth in an accident, he or she has a 90 percent chance of being able to save that tooth if the proper procedure is followed.
- It’s important to touch the tooth by the top, not by the root. The tooth needs the tiny nerve fibers to be intact to be reimplanted.
- Wipe any excess dirt from the tooth and either place it back in the socket or hold it in your own mouth between your cheek and gums while driving to get emergency help. Saliva will help keep it alive, but if the tooth can’t be placed in your mouth, place it in a container of cold, whole milk.
- Lose no time! Go to your dentist immediately, call him or her on a hands-free call as you travel to the dentist. You only have a 15 to 30-minute window following the accident to save the tooth.
What to Do if Your Child Chips a Tooth
- If your child chips a tooth, call Dr. Evanson to make an appointment, and have your child take some Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, or other over-the-counter pain reliever.
- Make a salt water rinse of 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a cup of warm water and have your child swish it around in their mouth to reduce the chance of infection. Don’t swallow this solution, but spit it out and keep swishing it around until completely used.
- If the tooth was left with a sharp or jagged edge, cover it with some wax paraffin or a piece of sugarless chewing gum to protect their cheek and tongue.
- Until you see your dentist, avoid biting down on the damaged tooth, and only eat soft foods, such as pudding or yogurt.
Respond to the Emergency, Then Call Dr. Evanson
Respond to the emergency the best way you can, and then call Dr. Evanson at (720) 409-0008 or contact her online. The appropriate response to dental emergencies varies, according to the situation and severity of the problem, but if you have children, now is the time to prepare for the inevitable emergency that is sure to come!
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