Emergency Dental Tips For Parents

Are you the parent of pree-teen children? Are you concerned about their dental health? While you probably already make them brush their teeth at least twice a day, you may not yet be prepared for dental emergencies. Before you need emergency dental care, here are some things you should consider doing:

Find another dentist: Even though you probably already have a regular dentist that you take your child to, not all dental offices offer same day dentistry or extended hours. When your child is in pain because a tooth has been knocked out, you don't want to be trying to find a dental office that will accept your insurance plan and that's currently open. Once you find a clinic that can help, keep their information on a small index card, safely tucked into your wallet. If it's a dentist that offers extended hours, but isn't open 24/7, make sure to include their hours on the card as well. By doing this, should the time come, you won't have to think about much besides getting your child to the dentist's office.

Make a dental first aid kit: In addition to your regular first aid kit, make one specifically for dental emergencies. Add things like numbing gel for loose teeth or cavities, and sterile rolls of gauze for possible bloody situations. Also make sure to include several empty plastic sandwich bags for teeth or tooth parts that need to be transported to the dentist. If your child has traditional wire braces, talk to your dentist about wire cutters. Because of the high tension of the braces, the wires that are used can sometimes snap or otherwise break free, poking your child painfully in the mouth. Your dentist may recommend a pair of wire cutters to alleviate the situation until you can bring your child in for a same day dentistry appointment. If your child is active in sports, you may want to have one kit for your home and one for the car.

Learn about possible emergencies: If your child gets an abscess, this is a potentially serious infection that needs to be treated with same day dentistry as soon as you realize the situation. If for some reason you can't see the dentist right away, you may need to take your child to the to the ER for antibiotics until the dentist is available. For teeth that have been knocked out, know that the tooth should be preserved in milk or saliva until the dentist can see your child. By knowing how to handle emergency dental situations, your child will experience less pain if an emergency situation happens to arise. Contact a local dentist, like Ashton Randall P DDS, for more help.