PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY DENTIST BELLAIRE

Is My Child's Toothache a Dental Emergency? Since your child’s pain receptors are there to signal that something is wrong, you should call us if they are struggling with a toothache in Bellaire. Once we know a little more about their symptoms, including how severe they are, we can determine if they would benefit from an emergency visit.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Toothache: There are a few steps we recommend taking in addition to getting in touch with us, including placing a cold compress against the outside of their cheek, making sure they don’t chew on that side of their mouth, and, if needed, offering OTC pain medication for kids.

How We Treat Toothaches in Children: That depends on what we find during the exam! Once we’ve pinpointed the root of the problem, we will discuss the different treatment options that are available, like a tooth-colored filling. We will also share our recommendations so you can confidently decide the best way to alleviate the discomfort your child is experiencing in the short and long term.

Is My Child's Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, a cracked tooth is absolutely a dental emergency. So, don’t wait – call our team at Wildflower Pediatric Dentistry, even if the damage seems relatively minor. The sooner you do, the sooner we can schedule an appointment at our office and walk you through how to handle this dental injury in the meantime.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Cracked Tooth: Until their appointment, it’s important that your child avoids all spicy, sugary, crunchy, and sticky foods. They should also stick to room-temperature water since their tooth will likely be more sensitive than usual. If the discomfort they are experiencing is severe, you can give them OTC pain medication for kids as well (following the directions on the label, of course).

How We Treat Children's Cracked Teeth: Ideally, we’ll be able to place a dental crown over the cracked tooth, protecting it from further harm in the process. With that said, there are some cases when the damage is severe enough that we need to perform an extraction. If that’s the case, we will also either fill the open space with a dental bridge or, if there is a permanent tooth underneath, a space maintainer.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH EXTRACTIONS

Is My Child's Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? Since a chipped tooth can break further, we do recommend calling our pediatric dental office in Bellaire. That way, at the very least, we can schedule an exam before the end of the week with Dr. Lydia.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Chipped Tooth: First, have them rinse their mouth gently with clean, room-temperature water. Then, cover the edge of their tooth with dental wax or some sugar-free gum. Not only will this help prevent sensitivity, but it will also reduce the chances of them sustaining a soft tissue injury.

How We Treat Children's Chipped Teeth: That depends on a few factors, including the size of the chip and the type of tooth. For example, if one of their molars sustained serious damage, then Dr. Lydia will likely recommend a dental crown.

Is a knocked-out permanent tooth an emergency? Yes, a knocked-out permanent tooth is a dental emergency, and if you act quickly, it may be possible to save or reimplant it. If not, the tooth may need to be replaced.

How you should handle a knocked out permanent tooth: If your child’s tooth gets knocked out, never store it in plain water. Instead, submerge it in milk, saline, or in a tooth preservation kit available at some pharmacies. You may also be able to instruct them to keep it in place in the socket or in the space between their cheek and gums. Then, call Wildflower Pediatric Dentistry for further instructions.

How we treat knocked-out permanent teeth: We will do our best to reimplant the tooth, but there is no guarantee this will succeed. If it does not, we may need to replace the tooth with a bridge. Dental implants are only an option for children whose jaws have stopped growing (16 years old for girls, 18 years old for boys).

Is a knocked-out baby tooth an emergency? A lost children’s tooth in Bellaire can potentially be a dental emergency, which is why it is so important that we check to see if the permanent tooth underneath the baby tooth is injured.

How you should handle a knocked-out baby tooth: Never attempt to put the baby tooth back into the socket, as you could accidentally damage the permanent tooth growing underneath. While the fallen tooth doesn’t need to be kept moistened, please bring it with you to your child’s appointment if you can.

How we treat knocked out baby teeth: In some cases, we may not need to do anything at all, but if the tooth came out too early, we may need to put in a space maintainer to prevent the neighboring teeth from tilting into the gap and trapping the permanent tooth below.

Is a bitten tongue, lip, or cheek an emergency? While it’s true that cuts in the mouth can bleed a lot and be quite alarming, your dentist may be able to help with this type of dental emergency, which is very common in children who play sports.

How you should handle your child’s soft tissue injury: Clean the injury gently but thoroughly with water and then apply pressure to it to stop the bleeding. A cold compress can also help to ease the pain and reduce swelling.

How we treat soft tissue injuries in children: First, we’ll check to ensure that the soft tissues are the only part that were injured, and not the teeth, too. If necessary, we can stitch up the wound. If the bleeding has not stopped after about 10 minutes, please bring your child directly to the emergency room.

Is My Child's Dental Concussion an Emergency? A dental concussion is when the tooth has been shoved out of place but not completely knocked out. If that happens to your child, then you should call our team at Wildflower Pediatric Dentistry right away. From there, we can schedule an emergency visit and share what to do until you both arrive at our office.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Dental Concussion: Scheduling an appointment with us is an important first step. Then, shift your focus to doing what you can to prevent the tooth from loosening further, like asking your child not to wiggle it or chew on that side of their mouth. If they are hurting, you can also give them OTC pain medication as directed on the label.

How We Treat Dental Concussions in Children: That depends on several factors, including how severe the damage is. For example, if the tooth is barely hanging on, then we will likely need to extract it. As always, our kids’ emergency dentist in Bellaire will discuss all of the available treatment options after alleviating any pain your child is experiencing and completing a comprehensive oral exam.

Are My Child's Sensitive Teeth an Emergency? That depends. If you aren’t sure what’s triggering their dental sensitivity or their discomfort is getting worse instead of better, then we do recommend getting in touch with us. That way, we can learn more about what’s going on and, at the very least, schedule an appointment at our office within the next few days.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Sensitive Teeth: First, help your child avoid anything that could exacerbate their symptoms, like ice cream, and switch to a desensitizing toothpaste. If their discomfort persists, then you can offer them OTC pain medication as directed until we are able to provide the necessary restorative care.

How We Treat Sensitive Teeth in Children: Sometimes, dental sensitivity arises due to a small cavity, which can be treated with a tooth-colored filling. Other times, the culprit is a large crack in the enamel, which requires a dental crown.Ultimately, we won’t know which treatment is best until we are able to complete a comprehensive oral exam.

Is My Child's Lost Filling or Crown an Emergency? Although your child’s tooth may not be in immediate danger, there is certainly a higher risk of it breaking or developing an infection. For that reason, we do recommend calling us. The sooner you do, the sooner we can restore the strength, appearance, and health of their tooth.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Lost Filling or Crown: As you may have guessed, your child shouldn’t chew on that side of their mouth. Instead, they should stick to extremely soft foods, rinse their mouth periodically with room-temperature water, and keep their restoration in a small, clean container so it doesn’t break further.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns in Children: If your child lost their dental filling or crown in the midst of the madness, don’t worry – we can replace it with a new one.

Is Having Something Stuck Between My Child's Teeth an Emergency? Not usually, no. With that said, if you’ve tried the steps that we’ve outlined below, but the debris remains firmly lodged in place, don’t hesitate to give us a call.

How You Should Handle Something Stuck Between Your Child's Teeth: First, dissolve some salt in warm water. Next, have your child rinse their mouth with the mixture (always spitting it out when they are done). Then, use a clean strand of floss to gently remove the debris that’s stuck between their teeth.