When kids are living lives that involve sports, running around with other kids, and generally being active, accidents are bound to happen. Scraping your knees, busting your lip, and maybe breaking a bone or two are all part of childhood for many people. No parent wants to see their child get injured, but injuries are simply a fact of life. Another type of injury that is common in childhood is hitting or knocking out a tooth. Most parents know exactly what to do with a scraped knee or busted lip but when it comes to a tooth injury, the right course of action can be difficult to determine. Learning what to do when your kid injures a tooth can help you stay calm and take the appropriate steps if an injury occurs. 

Assess the severity of the injury

The first thing to do when your kid injures a tooth is to assess the severity of the injury. Look and see if the gums are bleeding, if the tooth is loose, if the tooth is chipped or cracked, and if the tooth was knocked out. A loose, chipped, cracked, or knocked out tooth are all injuries that can be serious and lead to issues for your child. If any of these issues are there when you assess the injury, you need to take immediate action. 

Call your child’s dentist

If the injury to your kid’s tooth looks severe, put in a call to the dentist. Your child’s dentist should have a number to call for emergencies even if they happen outside of normal business hours. Your child’s dentist will likely have a conversation with you and ask about the damage. Some issues will need to be addressed right away while others can wait until normal business hours. You and the dentist will work together to determine the appropriate course of action. 

Follow up with the dentist

There are some dental injuries that do not fully reveal themselves right away. For example, it can take time for an injured tooth to become discolored. Injuries can progress over time, so you need to be sure and follow up with the dentist after the initial repair is complete. Working closely with your child’s dentist is an important part of making sure any tooth injury is dealt with correctly and completely. 

Take precautions in the future

Your dentist may recommend that you provide the injured tooth with extra protection while it heals. This may mean having your child avoid certain activities or wear protective gear. Getting a secondary injury before the tooth has time to heal could lead to other problems. 

It is always a stressful situation when your child injures a tooth. Learning what steps to take when it happens – before an injury occurs – can make it much easier to navigate. At Dental Remedies, we have protocol in place for established patients in case of a tooth injury. You can give us a call or explore the website to learn about the specific protocol to follow in case of a dental injury.