Unfortunately, our children have accidents. Many times these accidents can injure teeth or involving facial or head areas. Toddlers, children playing sports or just engaging in regular play, can suddenly and unexpectedly incur a mouth, facial, or head injury. Below are some suggestions for handling these injuries and tips for immediate treatment that can be instrumental in saving your children's teeth in the event an injury occurs. We would suggest that you print this page, and keep it handy, just in case an accident occurs.

What should I do if my child's baby tooth is knocked out?

Contact our offices, or your pediatric dentist, as soon as possible. Baby teeth are usually not put back into the mouth but the child should be seen by the dentist to determine if any roots remain or other teeth have been injured.

What should I do if my child's permanent tooth is knocked out?

Find the tooth and rinse it gently in cool water. Do NOT scrub it or clean it with soap-just rinse with water! If possible, replace the tooth in the socket and hold it there with clean gauze or a wash cloth. If you can't put the tooth back into the socket, place the tooth in a clean container with milk, saliva, or water. Get to the pediatric dental office immediately, or, if it is after hours, call our office where we will be immediately contacted to call you back. The faster you act, the better your chances of saving the tooth.

What if a tooth is chipped or fractured?

Contact our offices, or your pediatric dentist immediately. Quick action can save the tooth, prevent infection and reduce the need for extensive dental treatment. Rinse the mouth with water and apply cold compresses to reduce swelling. If you can find the broken tooth fragment, bring it with you to the dentist.

What about a severe blow to the head or a jaw fracture?

Go immediately to the emergency room of your local hospital. A blow to the head can be life threatening!

What if my child has a toothache?

Call your pediatric dentist and visit the office promptly. To comfort your child, rinse the mouth with water. Apply a cold compress or ice wrapped in a cloth. Do not put heat or aspirin on the sore area.

How can dental injuries be prevented?

First thing to do is child proof your home. This entails making sure infants an toddlers cannot find sharp objects such as pencils and pens to put in their mouth and ensuring that electrical outlets and cords are out of their reach.

As children are learning to walk, make sure their are not sharp corners on furniture they may fall against and suffer injury. Pad those sharp coffee table corners or remove them completely until the child has learned to walk with complete balance. Use common sense, if it looks like it could injure a falling child, it can!

Make sure your child is belted safely in his stroller and car seat at all times!

Reduce oral injury in sports by wearing mouthguards. This includes not just school or league sports, but the backyard variety also. Most children lose teeth on the playground, not just in organized school sports!

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