What Should I Do After My Child Experiences a Tooth Fracture?
A child’s tooth fracture is one of the most common emergencies our Wheat Ridge dentists treat. If your child is experiencing an emergency, is in pain, or has a broken tooth, there are important steps to take before you call your family or pediatric dentist (Wheat Ridge.)
What to Do Immediately After Tooth Fracture
Dental emergencies such as chipped and broken teeth are very common if your child is involved in sports, outdoor activities, or hobbies where bumps and bruises may occur. This is especially true for kids who enjoy skiing or snowboarding.
Here’s what to do if your child’s tooth chips during a slip or fall:
First, control any bleeding by applying gentle pressure. Because our oral tissues are very vascular, they can easily bleed from any type of trauma. Use apply pressure to that area of your child’s mouth until it stops bleeding.
If your child has severe bleeding or you suspect that there are broken bones involved, go directly to the hospital emergency room. Our Wheat Ridge kids dentist can treat minor to moderate dental injuries like chipped teeth, but a broken jaw or severe facial trauma requires immediate medical attention.
Handling Broken or Chipped Tooth Fragments
If possible, locate the broken tooth. Sometimes, larger parts of the tooth can be reattached by bonding them to the tooth or reinserting whole teeth back into the socket.
You should not touch or scrub the tooth to clean it. And if the entire tooth is knocked out, do not touch the root surface (only handle the crown.) However, you can gently rinse off any visible dirt.
Next, store your tooth properly and bring it to our Wheat Ridge dental office. For best results, put it in a sealed container or zip-top bag and cover it with milk, contact solution, or tap water (with a pinch of salt added.) Then bring it to our Wheat Ridge kid’s dental office right away. Chipped and knocked-out teeth need to be seen within the next 1-2 hours if the broken fragment is going to be reattached.
Helping Your Child Through the Pain
There is no way to fix a chipped tooth without seeing a dentist, but you can use over-the-counter pain relievers such as Motrin (ibuprofen) to help reduce your child’s pain. If you have clove oil on hand, you can also apply a few drops to a cotton ball and have your child hold it against their chipped tooth.
How a Family or Pediatric Dentist Can Repair Chipped Teeth
Restorative treatments can vary from child to child, depending on the severity of their broken tooth. Some options include:
- Bonding or cementing the broken fragment back to the tooth.
- Covering or reshaping the area with tooth-colored bonding.
- For severe fractures, performing a pulpotomy (baby root canal) and placing a crown.
We may need to monitor the tooth over the next several months to ensure there is no internal nerve damage or cracks. Especially if your child chipped a permanent adult tooth rather than a primary (baby) tooth.
Plan Ahead
You can put together an emergency tooth kit to have on hand for athletic activities or in your family’s first aid box. A small container of contact solution, a resealable container, Motrin, and clean gauze are all you need. Also, go ahead and put a card for your family’s pediatric dentist in the bag with it so that you know who to call in the event of an emergency.
Another great idea is to go ahead and have your child wear an athletic mouthguard if they’re involved in an activity where oral trauma may occur.
Pediatric Emergency Dental Treatment in Wheat Ridge
Did your child fall and chip a tooth? Are you looking for an emergency dentist in Wheat Ridge to treat it? Kid Focus Dentistry is here to help. Contact us right away to discuss same-day emergency treatment options for chipped teeth. New patients are always welcome!