Emergency Pediatric Dentist — San Luis Obispo, CA

Toothaches

Is My Child's Toothache a Dental Emergency?

If your child complains about tooth pain or only chews food on one side because of a toothache, you should take it seriously. Tooth pain most often signifies decay or a cavity, which will only get worse over time. In this case, it needs to be dealt with right away with your pediatric dentist in San Luis Obispo. Dr. Forester can relieve their pain and give your child the ability to use that tooth again.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Toothache

Pay attention to when your child first mentions a toothache. To eliminate the possibility of something being stuck between their teeth, floss their teeth (or have them floss). If the pain continues afterward for more than a day, you should give us a call for an urgent appointment. You may give them over-the-counter pain reliever as directed to alleviate their discomfort. To control any swelling, you may put a cold compress on their face.

How We Treat Toothaches in Children

Assuming your child’s tooth pain is the result of a cavity, we will take away the decayed tooth structure and restore the tooth with either a filling or a dental crown. With baby or primary teeth, treatment can get tricky, but rest assured, we will do what we can to preserve as much of their natural teeth as possible.

Learn More about Restorative Dentistry

Cracked Tooth

Is My Child's Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency?

Even if their cracked tooth does not cause your child pain immediately, it is still considered a dental emergency because the crack opens the tooth, exposing the sensitive inner layers to bacteria and infection.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Cracked Tooth

If your child needs to eat before making it to our office, instruct them to avoid chewing with that area of their mouth. After they’re done, have them brush, floss, and rinse their mouth with clean, warm water.

How We Treat Children's Cracked Teeth 

In most cases, we can repair a cracked tooth by using a dental crown to hold it together. Depending on how severe the damage is, we may need to perform root canal therapy on the tooth. However, when the crack goes beneath the gumline, extraction is likely the best course of action. For a permanent tooth, we can discuss possible replacement, but for a baby tooth, we may need to place a space maintainer, an oral appliance that keeps the rest of the teeth from shifting out of position.

Learn More about Restorative Dentistry

Chipped Teeth

Is My Child's Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency?

Although a chipped tooth can sometimes be merely a cosmetic problem, it is still often considered a dental emergency because it can impair the tooth’s ability to bite or chew. That’s why we recommend contacting us for an immediate appointment if this happens to your child.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Chipped Tooth

If you can, find the piece(s) of your child’s tooth that has chipped off and bring it to our office. We may be able to reattach it using composite resin. If the remaining tooth is sharp, you may cover it with dental wax or sugar-free gum to keep your child’s gums, tongue, and cheek safe from cuts.

How We Treat Children's Chipped Teeth 

Treatment will greatly depend on how much damage the tooth has sustained. Some chipped teeth can be reassembled or restored with composite resin, which is the same material used for a filling, or a dental crown. In some cases, we may even be able to cover the tooth with a porcelain veneer. Dr. Forester will go through all your options and help you find the one that will best meet your child’s needs.

Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth

Is a Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency?

Knocking out a permanent tooth is one of the most urgent dental emergency situations because it can be saved for only a limited time. As a result, we strongly encourage you to bring your child to our office within an hour of the injury for the best case scenario.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth

When you pick up and handle the tooth, do not touch and contaminate the root portion. Only hold it by the crown, the part that usually shows. After rinsing (but not scrubbing) the tooth with clean water, try to reposition the tooth in the socket. This may not be possible, in which case the tooth will need to be stored in a container of milk to keep it moist.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Permanent Teeth 

If you haven’t done so already, Dr. Forester will put the tooth back into the arch. To hold it in place while the connective tissues heal, we may put a splint on the tooth. If we are unable to salvage the lost tooth, we can then talk about possible options for replacement like a bridge or potentially a dental implant, if your child is old enough.

Learn More about Restorative Dentistry

Knocked-Out Baby Tooth

is a Knocked-Out Baby Tooth a Dental Emergency?

At first, knocking out a baby tooth may not seem like a huge deal. Your child will lose it eventually, right? But the truth is that if a tooth is lost prematurely, it could throw off their dental alignment both now and when their permanent teeth come in. Plus, they could suffer other structural damage as a result of the injury. That’s why we recommend that you bring your child to us immediately in this situation!

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Baby Tooth

Your first priority is to stop any bleeding, which should subside within 10 minutes, with a clean cloth or gauze. If it doesn’t slow down, you should go to the emergency room to check if there is a more serious medical condition. Otherwise, give our practice a call!

How We Treat Knocked-Out Baby Teeth

Although we will not re-implant the baby tooth, Dr. Forester may place a space maintainer in the gap to stop the surrounding teeth from wandering out of position.

Bitten Tongue, Lip, or Cheek

Is a Bitten Tongue, Lip, or Cheek an Emergency?

Everyone, including grownups, has a mishap every now and then when they accidentally bite their tongue or cheek while eating. Most of the time, it doesn’t cause serious damage, even though it may hurt in the moment. However, if your child falls at the playground, for instance, and bites their soft tissues, it may need to be examined by Dr. Forester right away to make sure the injury isn’t worse than it appears.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Soft Tissue Injury

Before anything else, you need to control the bleeding. It should stop within 10 minutes, but if it doesn’t, it could be a sign of a medical condition that needs immediate attention at the ER. Most of the time, however, you simply need to call us and bring your child in for an examination.

How We Treat Soft Tissue Injuries in Children 

In many cases, Dr. Forester just needs to make sure that no further damage has been done to your child’s oral structures. If necessary, we may provide stitches to help the soft tissues heal as well.

Dental Concussion

Is my child’s dental concussion an emergency? A dental concussion is when a tooth has been shoved out of place, but wasn’t knocked out completely. This can happen due to a sports injury or a blow to the mouth while running around and playing. A concussed tooth is most certainly a dental emergency, but how quickly it needs to be treated will depend on the severity. Don’t hesitate to give us a call right away!

How you should handle your child’s dental concussion: First, have your child rinse their mouth out with water. If needed, you can apply an ice pack to the outside of the mouth or judiciously administer a children’s pain reliever to ease discomfort. Do your best to keep your child from playing with the tooth and make sure they only eat very soft foods until we can see them.

How we treat dental concussions in children: When you arrive, we’ll check the tooth and the surrounding areas of the mouth, typically with the help of a digital X-ray. Depending on the case, a concussed tooth may straighten over time, or it can be adjusted gradually with a splint. However, if the tooth was damaged in the process, it may need pulp therapy or to be removed.

Sensitive Teeth

Are my child’s sensitive teeth an emergency? Unfortunately, there’s a list a mile long of what can cause sensitive teeth in kids. The most common culprit is a cavity, followed closely by enamel erosion. Most causes of sensitive teeth can wait until their next appointment to be treated, but, if your child’s sensitive teeth are very painful or long-lasting, then you should call us as soon as possible. Tooth sensitivity can sometimes indicate serious oral health issues like dental infections or abscesses.

How you should handle your child’s sensitive teeth: When you call our office, we’ll give you specific instructions for how to handle your child’s tooth sensitivity. You should have your child rinse their mouth out with water and avoid sweet, sour, spicy, and acidic foods and beverages. We may recommend switching them to a desensitizing toothpaste or mouthwash.

How we treat sensitive teeth in children: The best treatment for your child’s tooth sensitivity will naturally depend on what’s causing it. They may simply need a fluoride treatment or a dental sealant to strengthen their enamel. Or, they may require direct bonding, tooth-colored fillings, a dental crown, or pulp therapy to fully address the damage.

<Learn More About Fluoride Treatments>

<Learn More About Dental Sealants>

<Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings>

<Learn More About Direct Bonding>

<Learn More About Kids Dental Crowns>

Lost Filling or Crown

Is my child’s lost filling or crown an emergency? Once your child’s filling or crown is in place, it should stay there for a decade or longer, but biting into hard objects, poor oral hygiene, and facial trauma can all lead to the loss of a restoration. While lost fillings and crowns are not typically considered an urgent dental emergency, you’ll still want to call to schedule an appointment with us to have it addressed right away to prevent future complications.

How you should handle your child’s lost filling or crown: Have your child rinse out their mouth while you recover the filling or crown. Give it a quick rinse and see if you can place it back onto your child’s tooth. If it won’t stay, a small dab of toothpaste can help. DON’T use any other kind of adhesive. Advise your child to not chew with the tooth until we can see them. If your child’s tooth is feeling sensitive, you can cover it with dental wax or sugarless gum.

How we treat lost fillings or crowns in children: When a filling is lost, we almost always replace it instead of attempting to repair it. However, if a dental crown falls out, we may be able to restore it and put it back in place. It just depends on the extent of the damage and why the restoration fell off in the first place.

<Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings>

<Learn More About Dental Crowns>

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

Is having something stuck between my child’s teeth an emergency? Everyone has experienced food stubbornly stuck between their teeth at some point. However, we trust your instincts as a parent. If you and your child are having trouble removing lodged debris from their smile, don’t hesitate to give us a call and we’ll be more than happy to help.

How you should handle something stuck between your child’s teeth: Have your child rinse out their mouth out with water. Then, have either yourself or your child floss around the tooth to try to remove the debris. If you are not successful, never use a sharp or pointed instrument to try to get it out, as you could cause serious damage by accident! Instead, come see us right away so we can safely remove the object for you.