We’ve all been there. At some point in our lives we’ve had a tooth emergency and didn’t really know what to do. It could have been dealt with right away, if only you had known. It’s worrying when the same happens to your son or daughter. Panic tends to set in when you see your child in pain. It’s best to know how to react when an emergency hits. Losing teeth is fairly common and in most cases it is nothing to worry about. But the screams of agony from your child may have you concerned and you could consider having it looked at just to be safe. Then there are emergencies that warrant medical attention right away. Sometimes the damage to the teeth is pretty serious and could be painful to deal with. Injuries could also affect permanent teeth and damage the gums that hold them up. Any pediatric dentist will tell you, there are things you can do to avoid making things worse when you have certain teeth related accidents. Here is a list of the most common tooth ailments and what you can do to sort it out for your child right away.

Toothache

Toothache may be the most common emergency and you will need to go see a pediatric dentist when you child is in immense pain. Usually, this toothache is due to sore teeth and you must clean the area around it properly. Rinse the mouth with salted warm water and use dental floss to remove food particles. If the child’s face is swollen, use a cold compress to relieve the pain. A lot of toothache is normal and the result of some deficiency. It’s important that you try and figure out if this is the case. Wait for a while after the pain starts and then try to get to the doctor if it persists after a few days.

Knocked out Permanent teeth

If teeth have been knocked out, you need to find it first and then rinse it properly to make it clean, Handle it from the top instead of the base and be very careful. Saving a tooth is time critical. If you can get the child to reinsert the tooth and hold it in place till you get to the dentist, that’s great. Failing this, put it in a cup containing milk or water. Hurry to the nearest dentist.

Cracked or Fractured teeth

If the crack on the tooth is minor and is barely visible, you don’t need to get a doctor. But more severe cracks that are clearly visible must be attended to right away. The crack can spread gradually the more the child chews, so a filling material needs to be used to fill it up and seal the crack.

Split tooth

Split teeth are usually split vertically. The back teeth or molars are more susceptible to this and it is important that a dentist preserve the root and cover the split tooth with a crown. In some cases the damage is so bad that the root of the tooth cannot be saved and the entire tooth needs to be replaced. There are some excellent materials that can replace teeth, so don’t worry too much if this is the case with your child.

Baby tooth falls

Babies lose their teeth all the time and you can help relieve the pain by applying a clean gauze over the area. Bleeding is natural and this gauze can stop it with about 10 to 15 minutes of applied pressure. If the baby is still bleeding after this, take a trip to the dentist right away.