Tips in Handling Dental Emergencies in Children the Calm Way
When you see a beloved child suffering from the pain of a dental disease, you will also probably panic. However, as experience has taught in many other types of emergencies, panic and hysteria will only aggravate the situation.
That said, the best way to handle dental emergencies is to be cool, calm and collected. Of course, knowing what to do is a very important part of maintaining such an approach to dental emergencies. Here then are the most sensible things to do when faced with such emergencies in your daily life.
Toothaches
Everybody suffers from toothache at some point in their lives. When a toothache strikes in the middle of the night or out of nowhere, there are two things necessary to relieve the pain. First, you should thoroughly rinse your child’s mouth with either plain warm water or with salt water. If necessary, you should also floss his or her teeth to remove any material that may be aggravating the pain.
Second, apply a cold compress on the outside of the cheek or mouth depending on the location of the aching tooth. This should lessen the swelling, if there is any. When handling dental emergencies, lessening the swelling is the first order of business.
Knocked-Out Tooth
Unfortunately, a knocked-out tooth is the most common dental emergency in hyperactive children. Instead of giving it to the tooth fairy and then having your child wear dentures or implants, the best thing to do is to save the tooth especially if it is a permanent one.
First, gently rinse the tooth with tap water if it is dirty but make sure that you handle it through the crown. Absolutely avoid removing any tissue fragments still attached to the tooth. Now, if you can get it back into the socket, then do so before going into the dental clinic.
However, if putting the tooth back into the socket is not possible, place it in a small container of milk to preserve it. You must then rush to the dental clinic because it can still be saved if and when the tooth is reinserted within an hour of falling off.
Broken Braces
Most children will be uncomfortable with braces and so may play around with it, resulting in broken wires. In this case, try to reposition the offending wire into place using a pencil eraser. Be gentle with it because the wire might just break and cause more health problems because your child accidentally swallowed or inhaled it.
If that does not work, then do what you will normally do when handling dental emergencies – go immediately to your dentist for professional care! But first, make sure that the end of the broken wire is covered with a piece of gauze or small cotton ball in route to the clinic. This also applies to loose brackets and bands. Try to reattach the bracket or band with orthodontic wax but make sure to go to your dentist as soon as possible.
As a parent, it is one of your duties to ensure that your children have the best access to dental care. Keep in mind that dental health is closely associated with general health.