Memorial Day Weekend & Dental Emergencies

Many families plan their Memorial Day weekend around relaxing, spending time with family, and enjoying the holiday. What many people don’t plan for is a dental emergency, but they do sometimes happen. If you should encounter a dental emergency over the 3-day weekend, please use this article as a guide.

Dealing With Dental Emergencies

• Tooth Pain – If your child is complaining of a toothache, there are a few things you can do before heading to the dentist’s office. First, gently floss and brush your child’s teeth and rinse with warm water. It’s possible his or her pain is being caused by a piece of food that’s been lodged in the teeth. If this doesn’t help, treat the pain with an over-the-counter pain reliever and serve your child soft food until you can get to our office.
• Tooth Knocked or Fallen Out – If your child’s tooth has been knocked out, or an adult tooth has fallen out, you need to locate the missing tooth and pick it up by the crown. Avoid touching the roots of the tooth. Rinse the tooth with cool water, being careful not to detach any tissue that may remain on the tooth. If your child is old enough, place the tooth back into his or her socket and have them bite down gently to keep it in place. If your child is too young, place the tooth in a cup of milk or a cup of your child’s saliva in order to transport it to our office. If we can get the tooth within 30 minutes, we may be able to save it.
• Tooth That’s Been Broken – If your child has chipped or broken a tooth and the edges are jagged, we recommend purchasing and applying dental wax to prevent the sharp edges from cutting the inside of the cheeks. If there’s pain associated with the injury, give your child over-the-counter pain reliever until they can be seen by our dentist. Lastly, avoid letting your child chew hard foods, as this can make the break more severe.
• Soft Tissue Injury – Of the soft tissues of the mouth (gums, tongue, cheeks, lips) are injured or lacerated, this is considered a dental emergency. To stop the bleeding, apply gentle pressure to the wound with clean, sterile gauze. If the bleeding is severe or doesn’t subside, please visit an emergency room.

We want to wish you and your family a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. If your child experiences a dental emergency, please don’t hesitate to contact Firestone Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics. Our office is located in Firestone, Colorado.