(410) 740-0144
10632 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 337
Columbia, MD 21044
Growing happy, healthy smiles for infants, children, and adolescents
If you face a dental emergency, please give us a call immediately. We are always here to assist with your child's dental health. Please call our emergency number if your dental emergency needs urgent attention after hours.
Below are some tips on dealing with urgent dental situations. We suggest displaying this list on your refrigerator or storing it near your emergency phone numbers for easy reference.
If your child has bitten their lip or tongue severely enough to cause bleeding, clean the bite gently with water and use a cold compress (a cold, wet towel or washcloth pressed firmly against the area) to reduce or avoid swelling. Give us a call to help determine the seriousness of the bite.
If your child has chipped or broken off a piece of their tooth, have them rinse their mouth with warm water, then use a cold compress to reduce swelling. Try to locate and save the tooth fragment that broke off and place it in a clean container of milk, and call us immediately.
If your child's permanent tooth has been knocked out of their mouth, find the tooth and rinse it gently with cool water (do not scrub it clean or use soap), taking care to only touch the crown of the tooth (the part you can see when it is in place). If you can, place the tooth back in its socket and hold it in place with a clean towel or cloth. If you cannot return the tooth to its socket, place it in a clean container with milk, saliva or water. In either case, call us immediately and/or head to the hospital. If you act quickly, it is possible to save a permanent tooth.
Rinse out your child's mouth and check for any other tooth damage. Place pressure with gauze or a washcloth, this will help control the bleeding.
We do not put baby teeth back in their sockets after being knocked out because it is very unlikely the teeth will heal properly. There is a risk that the tooth will fuse to the bone and inhibit proper eruption of the permanent tooth that follows.
In the event a baby tooth is knocked out, call our office to schedule an appointment to make sure no other teeth have been damaged and that proper healing is occurring.
If your child complains of a toothache, rinse their mouth with warm water and inspect their teeth to be sure there is nothing caught between them. If pain continues, use a cold compress to ease the pain. Do not apply heat or any kind of aspirin or topical pain reliever directly to the affected area, as this can cause damage to the gums. Children's pain relievers may be taken orally. Call our office and schedule an appointment immediately.
If you know or suspect your child has sustained a severe blow to the head or a broken jaw, use a cold compress to reduce swelling. Go directly to the emergency room of your local hospital immediately, and call our emergency number. In many cases a broken jaw is the result of a blow to the head. Severe blows to the head can be dangerous and even life threatening.