Facing a dental emergency can be very scary, both for you and your child. If something happens during our office hours, please give us a call right away at (724) 625-7200. If you need urgent treatment after hours, please call our emergency number at (724) 625-7200. We are here to help when your child's dental health is at risk.

Avoiding Injury

You can help your child avoid dental emergencies. Child-proof your house to avoid falls. Don't let your child chew on ice, popcorn kernels, or other hard foods. Always use car seats for young children and require seat belts for older children. And if your child plays contact sports, have him wear a mouth guard. Finally, prevent toothaches with regular brushing, flossing, and visits to our office.

But, accidents are bound to happen. Here are some tips for dealing with urgent dental situations you may want to put this list on your refrigerator or store it near your emergency phone numbers for easy reference.

Bitten Lip or Tongue

If your child has bitten his 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. Call us for an appointment so we can help determine the severity of the bite.

Object Caught In Teeth

If your child has something caught between his teeth, use dental floss to gently remove it. Never use a metal, plastic, or sharp tool to remove a stuck object. If you are unable to remove the item with dental floss, call us.

Broken, Chipped, or Fractured Tooth

If your child has chipped or broken a piece off of his tooth, have him rinse his mouth with warm water, and then give him a cold compress to reduce swelling. If you can, find the tooth fragment and keep it. Call us immediately.

Knocked Out Tooth

If your child's adult tooth has been knocked out of his mouth, find the tooth and rinse it with water.  Do not use soap and take care to only touch the crown of the tooth. The crown of the tooth is the part of the tooth you can see when the tooth is in place in the mouth. If you can, place the adult tooth back in its socket and hold it in place with a clean towel or cloth. If you can't return the adult tooth to its socket, place it in a clean container with milk. In either case, call us immediately and/or head to the hospital. If you act quickly, it's possible to save the adult tooth.

If your child knocks out a baby tooth, don't attempt to replace it into its socket. Call us immediately and we will evaluate the situation.

Loose Tooth

If your child has a very loose tooth, it should be removed so that your child doesn't accidentally swallow it or inhale it.

Toothache

If your child complains of a toothache, have him rinse his mouth with warm water and inspect his teeth to be sure there is nothing caught between them. If the pain continues, use a cold compress and see if that helps. Do not apply heat, aspirin, or topical pain reliever directly to the affected area, as this can damage to the gums. You can give your child a children's formulation pain reliever. Schedule an appointment immediately.

Broken Jaw

If you know or suspect your child has sustained a broken jaw, use a cold compress to reduce swelling. Call our emergency number and head to the hospital immediately. 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.