The most common age for tooth injuries is between two and three years old,
when children are learning to run.
Falls can cause injuries. The most common teeth to be injured in a fall
are the front teeth.
Hits to the face or head can cause injuries.
Injuries can also be caused by car accidents, sports injuries, or chewing
hard items, such as pencils, hard candy, nuts, ice, etc.
What are common injuries and how are they treated? Always call your dentist if your child has a tooth or gum injury. Injuries
to both baby teeth and permanent teeth should be treated by a dentist.
Injuries to the gums
Call your dentist.
If the gums are bleeding, soak a piece of gauze with cold water and
press it to the injury.
Over the next few weeks, watch for fever, swelling, and tenderness to
the injured area. Call your doctor if your child has any of these symptoms.
If there is swelling, sucking on a Popsicle may help.
Chipped or broken teeth
Call your dentist.
Take all the pieces out of your child's mouth (to prevent choking).
Put the pieces in saline solution or milk. Use tap water if that is
what you have. Do not clean or brush the pieces. Bring them to the dentist.
Look for bleeding.
If there is bleeding, soak a piece of gauze with cold water and press
it to the injury.
If there is no bleeding, rinse the mouth with warm water.
Press a cold compress to the injured tooth. A towel soaked in cold water
or a bag of ice covered with a towel can be used as a compress.
If the tooth needs to be removed, the dentist may put a spacer in the
place where the tooth used to be. The spacer will help permanent teeth
grow in the right places.
Over the next few weeks, watch for fever, swelling, and tenderness to
the injured area. Call your doctor if your child has any of these symptoms.
If there is swelling, sucking on a Popsicle may help.
Loose teeth, displaced teeth
Call the dentist of your child has a loose tooth because of an injury.
Call the dentist if your child's tooth is displaced in an injury (pushed
out of its original position).
Do not push or pull at the tooth.
Lost tooth
A permanent tooth can often be saved if it is handled carefully. The
most important thing is to go to the dentist right away.
The front teeth are the most common to be knocked out.
If your child loses a tooth by injury, find the tooth. Hold it at the
top, not at the roots.
Rinse it with saline solution or milk. If possible, avoid using tap
water, which can damage the root. Use tap water if that is what you have.
Do not scrub the tooth.
If your child is old enough, have him place the tooth back in its socket
and gently bite down on a gauze pad to hold it in place.
Do not put the tooth back in your child's mouth if he is crying or upset.
If the tooth won't fit back in the socket comfortably, put the tooth
in milk or saline solution.
Young children may swallow the tooth. Instead, put the tooth in milk,
saline solution, or tap water.
To stop bleeding, have your child gently bite down on a gauze pad.
Go to the dentist or an emergency room immediately. Many hospital emergency
rooms also have dental services.
How can injuries be prevented?
If front teeth stick out, they are more likely to be injured in falls and
accidents. The child may need braces.
Children should wear facemasks and mouth guards while playing sports.
Mouth guards can usually be bought at sports stores or pharmacies.
Go to the dentist or an emergency room immediately if your child loses a
baby or permanent tooth by injury.
Go to the emergency room if your child receives a hit to the head that knocked
out a tooth. He may also have a head injury.
Call the doctor if you child has a fever, swelling, or tenderness to the
injured area.
Call the doctor if your child cannot sleep because of a toothache.
Call the doctor or dentist if you have questions or concerns about your
child's treatment or condition.
Quick Answers
Tooth injuries can be caused by hits to the face or head, car accidents,
falls, sports injuries, or chewing hard items.
If the gums are bleeding, soak a piece of gauze with cold water and press
it to the injury.
If your infant or toddler chips a tooth, call the dentist. Collect all the
pieces and put them in milk, saline solution, or tap water. Press a cold compress
to the injured area.
A baby or permanent tooth can often be saved if it is handled carefully.
Find the tooth. In older children, put it in the socket. For younger children,
put the tooth in milk, saline solution, or tap water. Go to the dentist right
away.
To prevent tooth injuries, children should wear facemasks and mouth guards
while playing sports.
Go to the dentist or an emergency room immediately if your child loses a
baby or permanent tooth by injury.
References
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dental Emergencies. 1996-2001 (cited
2002 April 17). URL: http;//www.chop.edu/consumer/your_child/wellness_index.jsp?id=-8867&printable=1
MedicineNet.com. First Aid for Dental Injuries. 1996-2002 (cited 2002 April
17). URL: http://www.medicineNet.com/Script/Main/Art.asp?li=MNI&ArticleKey=221&page=2
Rutherford, K. Tooth Injuries. KidsHealth. 2001 July (cited 2002 April 12).
URL: http://kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp?dn=KidsHealth&lic=1&ps=107&cat_id=149&article_set=22530
Ulve, E. Dental Emergencies in Children. Virtual Naval Hospital. 1994 August
18 (cited 2002 April 17).
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