4 Signs Your Child Needs Emergency Dental Care

Damage to teeth and gums can’t be ignored. It’s always important to act quickly if something is wrong, but some dental issues are more pressing than others. How can you know the difference between a dental problem that needs to be solved soon and a problem that needs to be solved now?

We never want our patients to put off a dental procedure when it could lead to lasting harm, so we’ve compiled a list of important warning signs that mean you should get your child’s teeth checked out as soon as possible. After all, they’ve only got so many teeth — it’s best to keep them all in good shape.

1. Broken or missing teeth

It goes without saying that obvious physical damage to the teeth is one of the most urgent dental emergencies someone can experience. If your kid’s tooth has been damaged, rinse their mouth with warm water immediately and call us as soon as possible. If their tooth has come out, gently try to put it back into the socket (without touching the root!) or have them keep it in their mouth to protect it until we can see them.

2. Dental abscesses

A dental abscess is a small collection of pus inside of a tooth or gums that is caused by a bacterial infection. If your child’s symptoms include shiny red swollen gums, a fever, or pain that spreads to their jaw or neck, they may have an abscess, even if you don’t see it. Try to see us as soon as possible, but, in the meantime, you can reduce the pain of the abscess by having them avoid cold drinks. Use a soft toothbrush to very gently clean the area until we can get them into the office.

3. Lost filling or crown

A crown or filling can become loose or even fall out for a variety of reasons. If your kid lose a crown or filling, it’s important to try to save it — we may be able to reuse it. Rinse the area with warm salt water and continue to brush the damaged tooth (gently!) until we can see them.

4. Significant pain or swelling in the teeth, gums or jaw

Constant pain or swelling in the mouth is never normal! This symptom may seem vague or common, but it could be a sign of major damage or an infection that could have nasty results if left untreated. Don’t make your kid tough it out. Call us and we will decide together whether your child needs to come in for an appointment.

Ignoring any of these four dental problems could result in the permanent loss of teeth. Infections can even spread to other parts of the body and cause serious general medical issues, so it’s extremely important to get your child’s teeth examined if they experience any dental emergency on this list!

We want your kid’s tooth pain or mouth pain to stop.

First and foremost, if your child is in pain, we want to help them get some relief. Then we can address any underlying causes to solve the problem using dental best practices. If you believe your kid is experiencing a dental emergency, give us a call at (781) 599-2900 as soon as possible. We’ll get them an appointment in the near future, so they can go back to their life and leave tooth pain behind.