Your child can encounter a number of dental emergencies that have potential long-term implications if not treated properly. One of the most common of those is a chipped or broken tooth. It’s common for this to happen during a sporting event or if they have a bad fall. This is what you should do if it happens.
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Contact us IMMEDIATELY. Fast action can save the tooth, prevent infection and reduce the need for extensive dental treatment. Even if the damage appears to be minor, you still want to be sure the tooth hasn’t suffered any significant harm that would require intervention. There could be an opening that’s invisible to the naked eye but still allows bacteria to enter the tooth’s pulp and cause infection.
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Rinse the mouth with water and apply a COLD COMPRESS to reduce swelling
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If you can find the broken tooth fragment it is important to bring it to us
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Once here, we will thoroughly examine your child and either re-attach the tooth fragment if it’s available, or re-contour the tooth to remove any jagged edges. We might also use a bonding material to fill in the empty space.
The key to dealing with any kind of dental emergency is to have a plan in advance so you know what to do if the situation arises.