Why Children Need Emergency Dental Care
The health of your child becomes your concern right from infancy through to their teenage life. Some parents even have a hard time letting their children go into adulthood. This just goes to say that the health of your children will always be a priority. It is why a health emergency can scare you and leave you overwhelmed.
The dental health of your child should matter just as much as their overall health. As he grows up, the risks of damage on his dentition vary, depending on their physical activities. Read on to learn more about the role of Kids emergency dentists, and why your child needs them.
What Is Emergency Dental Care?
It covers a myriad of dental services that are offered to patients that have dental emergencies. Ideally, not all dental problems merit as emergencies. The dental problems that are emergencies cannot wait until the following day to be treated. When this happens, the state of your oral cavity depends on your quickly finding an emergency dentist to repair your teeth and handle the underlying dental problem.
At Kids First Dental in Lancaster, SC, we receive many parents who are overwhelmed by the dental emergencies on their children. This is expected, especially considering that children cannot keep their cool when something is wrong.
Which Oral Problems Are Urgent Dental Emergencies?
One of the greatest problem dental experts face in emergency dental clinics is that of helping patients determine the difference between urgent and non-urgent dental conditions. When it comes to your child’s health, any dental problem can seem urgent. For this reason, dentists have come up with a comprehensive list of the top oral problems that should be deemed as dental emergencies. The most common ones include the following:
- Big crack or chip on a tooth.
- Severe toothache
- Swollen gums
- Bleeding gums
- Loose teeth
- Knocked-out teeth
As soon as you detect these issues on your child, reach out to a pediatric dentist as soon as possible. Even then, quick thinking at the time of the dental emergency can make a big difference. Your main concern should be to help alleviate the pain and discomfort of your child as you pursue better means to resolve the underlying problem.
Benefits of Emergency Dentistry for Children
Fast response to a traumatic situation that can potentially be damaging to the health of your child should be the top of your concern. Some reasons why emergency dentistry is necessary for kids, include the following:
- Alleviating pain – children have low pain-tolerance, which is why they get easily irritant. A severe toothache, for example, can make both your life and that of your child very miserable. Therefore, your primary concern should be to help alleviate the pain and discomfort your child is undergoing. While simple efforts like a cold compress or over-the-counter pain relievers can help, and emergency dentist for children is best placed at handling the pain for good.
- Preventing progression – this is perhaps the greatest benefit of emergency dentistry. The progression of the oral condition can further sabotage the health of your child. While dental problems are rarely life-threatening, allowing a problem to progress can significantly hurt the health of your child.
- Preventing permanent damage – the quicker you get a dentist on the matter, the better the chances for salvaging your child’s dentition. A great example is when your child has loose teeth. if a dentist gets on the matter early, he/she can help dodge permanent damage to tooth loss. The stakes get higher when your child already has adult teeth.
- Avoiding expenses – there are long-term expenses that come with dental problems. If you do not have a dentist check your child’s oral cavity, you may have to invest in future tooth restorations. While most tooth restorations are successful, they can be a little too expensive for your liking.
- Reduce the risk of infection – this mostly applies where there is an open wound. Much as your child did not have an oral infection, having an open wound increases the risks and possibilities of getting an infection. Consider this for dental emergencies like excessive bleeding, knocked-out teeth, tongue bites, to mention a few.