Dental Trauma Treatment

Dental injuries in children are far more common than most parents expect. Nearly 50 percent of children will experience some form of tooth injury during childhood, whether from a fall, a sports collision, rough play, or an accident. At Kids Smiles Pediatric Dentistry in St. Louis, Dr. Kelly Jobe and our team are experienced in treating all types of pediatric dental trauma quickly and effectively. If your child has injured a tooth, calling our office right away is always the right first step.

Act quickly, especially if the knocked-out tooth is a permanent tooth. Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown, the chewing end, not the root. Rinse it gently with water but do not scrub or use soap. Place it in a clean container of milk or your child’s saliva to keep it moist. Then call our St. Louis office immediately. A permanent tooth has the best chance of being saved if it is reimplanted within minutes of being knocked out. Time matters significantly in these situations.

Yes. It can be tempting to assume that losing a baby tooth early is not a big deal, but it is. Baby teeth hold space for the permanent teeth coming in behind them. When a baby tooth is lost prematurely due to injury, the surrounding teeth can drift into that gap and cause the permanent tooth to come in crooked or in the wrong position entirely. Calling our office after a baby tooth is knocked out allows us to assess whether a space maintainer or other intervention is needed to protect your child’s developing smile.

Rinse your child’s mouth with warm water to clean the area. Apply a cold compress or ice pack wrapped in a cloth to the outside of the cheek to help with any pain and reduce swelling. Try to locate and save the broken tooth fragment if possible, as it may be usable during treatment. Then call Kids Smiles Pediatric Dentistry in St. Louis. The treatment needed will depend on how much of the tooth was affected, whether the pulp was exposed, and whether the tooth is a baby or permanent tooth.

A tooth that has been loosened by an injury should be evaluated by a dentist as soon as possible. In some cases, a loose tooth can be stabilized and saved. In others, especially with baby teeth, removal may be the safer option to prevent your child from accidentally swallowing or choking on the tooth. Do not attempt to pull the tooth at home without guidance from our team. Call our St. Louis office and we will walk you through the appropriate steps based on your child’s specific situation.

If the area is bleeding, apply gentle pressure with a piece of cold, wet gauze and ask your child to bite down on it if they are old enough to cooperate. An ice cube, popsicle, or ice pack wrapped in a washcloth applied to the outside of the cheek can help reduce pain and swelling. Ibuprofen or acetaminophen can be given for pain as appropriate for your child’s age and weight. Call our office and monitor your child for continued pain, increased swelling, fever, or any change in tooth color, all of which can indicate a more serious underlying injury.

Yes, and this is an important point many parents are not aware of. An impact that does not visibly crack or loosen a tooth can still damage the pulp, the nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth, without any immediate outward signs. In the days, weeks, or even months following an injury, a tooth may begin to darken in color, develop sensitivity, or show signs of infection. This is why following up with our St. Louis office after any dental injury is important, even if the tooth initially appears unaffected.

If your child has experienced a dental injury of any kind, call us right away at (314) 270-5817. Our team will give you specific instructions over the phone based on your child’s injury before you come in, which is faster and more accurate than searching online during a stressful moment. Our office is located at 9735 Landmark Parkway Dr., Suite 16, St. Louis, MO 63127. It is also a good idea to save our number in your phone now so you have it on hand if an emergency arises.