A child who has just hurt a tooth may be scared of anyone touching their mouth. For households in Erin and Hillsburgh, we explain how to prepare your child, what the injury assessment involves and how follow-up is planned.
After a fall, many children clamp their mouth shut and refuse to let anyone look. Stay calm and focus first on how they are overall. Emergency medical care takes precedence after a severe hit to the head or face, if your child struggles to breathe or swallow, or if bleeding is heavy and continuing.
When things are quieter, call a dental office and explain what happened and when; you don’t need a perfect view of the tooth to do that. An adult tooth knocked out of the mouth must be seen urgently, and a baby tooth that falls out is never put back. Families coming from Erin can phone us to ask about availability, and if urgent care can’t be arranged here, please go to another emergency dental provider.
At the visit, the team works at your child’s pace while the dentist examines the tooth, the surrounding tissues and its stage of development. You’ll hear what is needed now and what will be reviewed later. Because some changes show up afterwards, ask about follow-up even once your child is happy again.
The way it happened, the timing and your child’s behaviour since all help. Don’t force the mouth open, wiggle the tooth or ask your child to bite down to test it.
Tell us whether you noticed a missing corner or a bigger gap and whether your child flinches with drinks or air. If the piece turns up and can be picked up safely, keep it moist in milk or water. Don’t attempt to fix or smooth it.
Mention a tooth that seems pushed in, sticking out, crooked or out of line, or a child who says their teeth feel wrong when they close. These need prompt assessment. Never push it back, and don’t assume a baby tooth was just loose.
Share any cuts, swelling or bleeding, and whether a tooth or piece is missing. Mention unusual sleepiness, vomiting or anything else that might suggest a head injury. That helps the clinician decide what needs examining and whether a physician should be involved.
If a permanent tooth is knocked out, get first-aid advice and dental care immediately. Handle the crown rather than the root, keep the tooth in milk if replanting safely isn’t possible, and don’t let a young child hold it in their mouth.
Besides the visible tooth, an impact can affect the root, the pulp inside and the fibres and bone around it. The dentist considers each where relevant. A repair that restores appearance doesn’t confirm that those deeper parts are recovering.
Children’s teeth are at different stages, so the plan for a baby tooth isn’t the same as for a young permanent one. Ask which tooth was injured, what the dentist can tell so far and what will need another visit to answer.
Patient information: IADT and AAPD — fractures and luxations of permanent teeth
Care may involve watching the tooth, a repair, a splint or another option. Ask what each part is intended to do. Sometimes a short first visit handles what is urgent, with more care planned when your child is calmer.
First-visit findings give later reviews a point of comparison. Mention any previous injury to the same teeth. Ask what will be compared and what changes would lead to more treatment.
Some outcomes can’t be predicted at the outset. Ask which signs are encouraging and what complications are being looked for. A clear plan helps more than a promise that the tooth will never need care again.
The sequence and urgency depend on the injury. After a recent one, please phone us rather than requesting a routine appointment online.
We’ll ask when and where the injury happened, what first aid was given and whether your child has seen a doctor. Mention lost teeth or pieces and bite changes. Bring health information, a note of medicines given and anything that helps your child feel secure.
The dentist examines the teeth and soft tissue, explaining each step to your child, and discusses imaging or tests. Ask what can be determined today and whether some checks may need repeating as the tooth recovers.
The dentist may suggest a repair, a splint, pulp treatment, observation or another option. Tell us about your child’s fears, sensory needs and how they show discomfort. If a referral or another setting is suggested, ask why and how urgent it is.
Confirm what was done, which foods and activities to avoid and how to clean the area. Ask when to return and what symptoms mean calling earlier. Follow-up can continue after the tooth looks and feels fine.
Home instructions follow the injury and treatment. A minor repair may need different care from a splinted, displaced or replanted adult tooth.
Ask which foods to avoid and for how long. Clean the area as shown, perhaps letting your child hold the brush first or using a mirror. If soreness or a splint makes cleaning a battle, call us for ideas rather than abandoning it.
Phone about growing pain, swelling, a bump on the gum, a bite that feels different or a change in colour. Colour on its own isn’t a diagnosis; the dentist reads it alongside the symptoms and the examination.
Ask when your child can go back to sports and boisterous play, and whether a mouthguard is worth considering. An existing guard should be checked for fit. Protection reduces risk but can’t prevent every injury.
Patient information: IADT — broken teeth and preserving a fragment
Bring questions about your child’s comfort as well as the tooth. Some answers about the tooth’s future only come with time.
Call our Bronte Street practice to describe the injury, share your child’s needs and discuss availability. For a recent urgent injury that can’t be seen here, please use an available emergency dental provider.
Get immediate care for a knocked-out adult tooth. Emergency medical attention is needed for a serious head injury, trouble breathing or swallowing, or bleeding that won’t ease.
