Pediatric Dental Emergencies

When Your Child Has a Dental Emergency, We’re Here to Help

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Dental emergencies can be stressful for both children and parents. Whether your child has a severe toothache, broken tooth, swelling, or an injury to the mouth, contacting a pediatric dentist promptly can help determine what care is needed.

If your child is experiencing a dental emergency, call MagicLand Pediatric Dental as soon as possible.

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What Is a Pediatric Dental Emergency?

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Dental emergencies can include:

• Severe or persistent tooth pain
• Swelling of the face, gums, or mouth
• Dental infection or abscess
• A broken, chipped, or fractured tooth
• A knocked-out tooth
• A loose or displaced tooth after an injury
• Injury to the lips, gums, tongue, or mouth
• Uncontrolled bleeding from the mouth
• Dental trauma from sports, falls, or accidents

If you are unsure whether your child’s situation is an emergency, call our office. Our team can help determine the appropriate next step.

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Toothache

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A toothache may be caused by a cavity, infection, injury, or another dental problem.

Gently clean around the area and have your child rinse with water if they are old enough to rinse safely. Do not place aspirin or other medication directly against the tooth or gums.

Contact our office so the cause of the pain can be evaluated.

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Swelling or Dental Infection

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Swelling around a tooth, the gums, jaw, or face may be a sign of infection and should not be ignored.

Contact our office promptly if your child develops dental swelling, particularly when it is accompanied by significant pain or fever.

If your child has severe swelling or symptoms that appear medically serious, seek immediate medical care.

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Broken or Chipped Tooth

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If your child breaks or chips a tooth, contact us as soon as possible.

If you can find the broken piece of tooth, keep it and bring it with you. Rinse your child’s mouth gently with water and use a cold compress on the outside of the face if there is swelling.

Even when a broken tooth does not hurt, it should be evaluated to determine whether the deeper layers of the tooth have been affected.

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Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth

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A knocked-out permanent tooth is a time-sensitive dental emergency.

Find the tooth and handle it by the crown, which is the white part of the tooth, rather than the root.

If the tooth is dirty, gently rinse it without scrubbing the root. If immediate replacement is not possible, keep the tooth moist in an appropriate storage liquid such as milk and seek dental care immediately.

Call our office right away.

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Knocked-Out Baby Tooth

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A knocked-out baby tooth is treated differently from a permanent tooth.

Do not attempt to put a knocked-out baby tooth back into the socket.

Contact our office so your child can be evaluated for injury to the surrounding teeth, gums, and developing permanent teeth.

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Dental Injury From a Fall or Accident

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Children frequently experience dental injuries while playing, participating in sports, or simply being active.

If a tooth has moved, fractured, become loose, or changed position after an accident, contact our office promptly.

Dental injuries are not always obvious from appearance alone. A pediatric dentist may need to examine the tooth and surrounding structures to determine the extent of the injury.

If the accident also involved a significant head or facial injury, loss of consciousness, difficulty breathing, or another serious medical concern, seek emergency medical attention.

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Soft Tissue Injuries and Bleeding

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For injuries to the lips, cheeks, tongue, or gums, gently clean the area and apply light pressure with clean gauze or cloth to help control bleeding.

A cold compress on the outside of the face may help reduce swelling.

If bleeding is heavy or cannot be controlled, seek prompt medical attention.

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Why See a Pediatric Dentist for a Dental Emergency?

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Children’s teeth and developing mouths are different from those of adults.

An injury to a baby tooth can sometimes affect the developing permanent tooth underneath it, while injuries to permanent teeth may require time-sensitive treatment.

Our pediatric dental team evaluates the child as a whole, including their age, stage of dental development, type of injury, comfort level, and individual treatment needs.

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We Welcome New Patients

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Your child does not need to already be a MagicLand patient to contact us about establishing pediatric dental care.

We are currently accepting new patients, and no referral is necessary.

MagicLand Pediatric Dental accepts HUSKY Health and many dental insurance plans.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Should I call if I am not sure whether it is an emergency?

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Yes. If you are concerned about your child’s tooth, mouth, swelling, pain, or dental injury, call our office and explain what happened.

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Is a knocked-out tooth an emergency?

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A knocked-out permanent tooth requires immediate attention. Baby teeth should not be replanted. Contact a dentist promptly so the appropriate next steps can be determined.

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Does a chipped tooth need to be seen if it does not hurt?

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It should still be evaluated. The severity of a fracture cannot always be determined based on pain alone.

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Is facial swelling a dental emergency?

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Swelling can be associated with dental infection and should be evaluated promptly. Severe or rapidly worsening swelling or other medically serious symptoms require immediate medical attention.

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Do you accept HUSKY for pediatric dental emergencies?

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MagicLand Pediatric Dental accepts HUSKY Health and many dental insurance plans. Coverage and benefits depend on the individual plan.

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Concerned About Your Child’s Teeth?

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Do not wait and wonder whether your child needs dental attention.