Whether or not they have any medical training, parents are usually the first place a child will turn if they are in need of medical attention. This can be quite overwhelming for many parents who may feel unsure of their ability to stay level headed and know how to react in the case of an emergency. Dental emergencies are no different. While the internet is there to look up how to react in certain situations, sometimes time is of the essence, and knowing how to act is crucial. If you are a parent, there are certain dental emergencies that you may want to be familiar with, just in case anything happens.

First of all, it is fundamental to know how to tell the difference between dental and medical emergencies. For example, if a child has cut the inside of their cheek should one go to the emergency room or am emergency dental clinic? For the most part, dental emergencies involve the teeth specifically. If teeth are not the problem, no matter how close the problem is to the teeth, you will need to visit the emergency room. The answer to our example, therefore, is to go to the emergency room instead of a dentist.

Common dental emergencies among children include:

A Tooth Being Knocked Out. For young children, losing a tooth is not a big deal, since they are not permanent anyways. However, if your child has already lost their baby teeth this can be a dental emergency. Fortunately, modern technology can help dentists to re-implant the tooth, though success is not guaranteed. This is one case where timing is everything. Make sure that you locate the tooth, keep it moist, avoid touching the roots, and get into an emergency dental clinic as soon as you can.

A Tooth Being Pushed Into Jawbone. A dental intrusion, when a tooth has been pushed more deeply into the jawbone than is normal, can be quite painful. There is some risk that the tooth may not be saved, depending on the depth of the intrusion. A deep intrusion may actually fracture the socket of the tooth in the jawbone. Only an emergency dentist can verify how severe the intrusion is. 

A Tooth Displacement. A tooth displacement is when trauma forces a tooth into a weird position, such as getting hit with a Frisbee causing a tooth to change its direction. These teeth can be saved for the most part, but again, time is of the essence.

Contact an emergency dentist for more help.