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Injuries to the face, mouth and teeth are common among children. We are here to
help you in the time of an emergency. Do not panic, stay calm and determine the
extent of injury. If your child has a facial /head injury assess whether or not
you child's injury caused loss consciousness even for a brief moment. If this is
the case, your child should see a physician immediately. Worry about the mouth and
teeth later. Stop any bleeding with a clean washcloth or gauze. If there is swelling
place cold compression on the area. As you do this, check for broken teeth and/or
missing teeth. If there are missing teeth, look for them.
If any permanent tooth is avulsed, clean the tooth by handling it with the crown
and not the root. Gently rinse the tooth of dirt with cold water. Do not unnecessarily
scrub the root. Then place the tooth back into the socket. If you are unable to
place it in the socket place it in cold milk. Do not place it water. Immediately
see the Dentist.
Time is the determining factor for saving the tooth. If more than 30minutes has
elapsed since the tooth was dislodged the prognosis is guarded.
Primary teeth are not reimplanted. An x-ray is taken to make sure all portion of
the tooth is out. Pain medications are prescribed and the area is allowed to heal.
Then an impression is taken to fabricate a space maintainer to maintain the space
for the permanent tooth to come in.
Broken or chipped baby teeth
If the fracture is superficial, it can be restored with cosmetic bonding. If the
fracture extends to the pulp or nerve inside the tooth a baby root canal treatment
or coronal pulpotomy is performed. This is a very simple procedure and not as extensive
as a root canal treatment done on permanent teeth.
If the fracture is below the gum line the tooth is removed and a spacer is placed
to prevent drifting of teeth into the space and maintain space for the permanent
tooth.
Gum boil or Abscess
This is caused by an infected tooth. The pulp or nerve inside the tooth is infected
by decay. The abscess extends beyond the apex of the tooth into the surrounding
bone, perforating the bone into the gum tissue causing a gum boil. The infected
tooth cannot be saved. It has to be extracted to protect the permanent tooth bud
from getting infected. The patient is first put on antibiotics and then the tooth
is extracted.
Toothache
If your child is having a toothache, clean the area around the tooth. Rinse the
mouth with warm salt water and use dental floss to remove any trapped food between
the teeth. DO NOT place aspirin on the gums or tooth. This will cause a burn to
the gum tissues. If there is swelling, apply cold to the outside of the face. Take
acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain. Call the dentist.
Cold sore or Canker sore
Some patients get canker sores periodically. There is no definite cause for a cold
sore. It could be due to stress, vitamin or zinc deficiency or it may have a viral
origin. Cold sores usually last for 7 days. There is no definite treatment for cold
sores .Treatment is aimed towards relieving the pain either with over the counter
medication or prescription medication.
We try to accommodate all emergencies on the same day. Please call early in the
morning. If it is after working hours, please call our answering service and the
doctor on call will call you as soon as possible.
Please do not hesitate to call us if you have any questions. Your comfort is our
priority!
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