Emergency Dentist for Child

Emergency Dentist for Child
Children play, play, jump, have fun and at the same time take falls. Falling is part of everyone’s learning process and child development. On the other hand, from time to time, we have children at home complaining of toothache, mainly at night. These are some examples of cases that may be urgencies and emergencies in Pediatric Dentistry.
In the early years, children are learning to crawl, walk and run, which ends up making them more vulnerable to falls, especially from their own height. Over time, school physical activities begin, sports practice (games, fights, swimming) and the chances of trauma due to accidents to the face and mouth can increase quite a bit. Despite being common and frequent, accidents can result in problems such as minor bruises and mild damage to more important traumas such as compromised teeth, cut lips, and tooth fracture. Eventually, teeth may suffer small cracks, break apart, become soft, change position, enter into the bone, come out of the mouth in one piece or several of these together. In addition, they may still be associated with injuries to the gums, frenum/frenulum, and lip; these require immediate care, being considered a dental emergency.
In addition to trauma, dental pain of cariogenic origin (caused by cavities) is also an urgent condition in pediatric dentistry. It is not uncommon for children to complain of pain in their teeth when they eat, or even without eating to feel uncomfortable at night. This type of pain is one of the signs of pulp impairment (dental pulp), in which the child possibly has a deep cavity that has already affected the inner part of the living tissues of the tooth. In some cases, the child may have face edema, which must be treated immediately.
Dental trauma
Traumatic dental injuries happen from very young babies to teenagers and adults. We know today that 25% of people up to the age of 19 have already suffered some type of dental trauma. Dental trauma can be divided by severity, tissue affected and even the tooth involved.
1. Enamel crack:
This type of trauma is very common and can result from falls, crashes and even the masticatory trauma itself. Immediate treatment is not necessary, but it is recommended to monitor the tooth’s reaction to this trauma.
2. Tooth fracture:
This type of trauma occurs when a part of the tooth is fractured. This part can be big or small, and this dictates the proposed treatment. Treatments range from polishing, aesthetic restorations and endodontic (root canal) treatment.
3. Subuxation (loose tooth)
The trauma can be intense to the point of leaving the tooth loose, even if it is a permanent tooth. In this case, whether the affected tooth is milk or permanent, it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible, so that the necessary measures are taken to keep the tooth stable and in good condition. It may be necessary to perform radiographic examinations for evaluation.
4. Dislocation (tooth changed position)
Depending on the direction and intensity of the trauma, the tooth can be displaced into the bone (intrusive dislocation), go to one side or the other (lateral dislocation) or come out a little (extrusive dislocation). In this case, care should be sought immediately so that the supporting tissues of the tooth can be evaluated, its repositioning and fixation, in addition to performing radiographic examinations to check for possible bone fractures.
5. Root fracture
When a root fracture occurs, externally it may seem that nothing has happened, however the tooth may have some mobility and with radiographic examinations we can identify the fracture. The treatment will be carried out according to the location of the crack, and therefore, it is important to identify the problem as soon as possible.
6. Avulsion (tooth fell out)
Depending on the intensity of the trauma, the tooth may come out of the mouth in one piece, which is called dental avulsion. In that case, some care is essential so that the tooth can be repositioned.
What to do when trauma happens?
If the child suffers any trauma involving or not the tooth, it is necessary to remain calm, clean the area with running water and seek a dentist immediately. One of the traumas that draw the most attention are those involving fractures with separation of the fragment and dental avulsion (when the entire tooth comes out of the mouth). In these cases, the following recommendations should be followed:
* Thoroughly clean the region of the fracture or avulsion
* Take the fragment or tooth, always by the crown, never by the root
* Careful! Do not touch the root, as the fibers that adhere to them are essential for tooth repositioning.
* Wash in running water
* Store the tooth or fragment in a container with milk or saline
* Contact the dentist immediately
If the tooth that came out of the child’s mouth is already a permanent tooth, after washing it in saline, put it back in place immediately, even before going to the dentist. On the other hand, traumatized soft tissues such as the lips, tongue and gums must be cleaned to investigate the extent of the trauma. In case of bleeding, use gauze or a clean cloth, press lightly on the site for 5 minutes and observe again. Repeat the procedure if necessary. In case of cut and contact the dentist.