Emergency Dental Care for Children – What Parents Need to Know

A kid can trip and fall while playing hopscotch, crack a tooth by biting hard into an apple or suffer an injury from other causes. While kids are typically not able to express the pain of dental injuries, these problems may become worse if left untreated and can lead to serious complications, including infection and even loss of the tooth.

Kids may need emergency dental care to treat a number of issues, such as a severe toothache that prevents eating or an abscess; broken teeth; oral trauma; lacerations on the lips, tongue or cheek; and a piece of a chipped tooth stuck in a child’s lip or cheek. In addition, children with chronic medical conditions such as cleft lips and palate or craniofacial abnormalities may have special requirements for their oral health.

Pediatric dental injuries are often due to trauma and can occur as kids learn to walk, roughhouse with siblings or play sports. They can also be the result of harmful oral habits such as teeth grinding and nail-biting.

Parents can help avoid many dental emergencies by ensuring their children maintain good oral hygiene, not smoking and limit consumption of sugary foods. Regular visits to a reputable dentist, which can begin in infancy, can also help reduce a child’s dental anxiety and build confidence visiting the dentist.

Although most low-income children have access to dental coverage through Medicaid and SCHIP, a significant percentage of these children have unmet dental needs. Unmet dental needs are more likely for children without any insurance, those with private insurance that does not include dental benefits and for children whose families report economic hardship or have difficulty paying for food.

Data on dental care receipt was self-reported and therefore subject to some bias. Caregivers may be less likely to report receiving care for their children than they would have liked to avoid appearing negligent, so these data are likely underestimating the extent of unmet dental needs. The mental health of a parent also appears to have a strong relationship with both a child’s unmet dental needs and their receipt of preventive dental care, with children whose parents reported poor mental health scores being more likely to have unmet dental needs and less likely to receive preventive care.

Despite these challenges, it is still important for parents to take their kids to the dentist for routine cleanings and exams. These visits can help identify dental issues before they turn into emergencies, such as a cracked or chipped tooth that needs a filling, or an infected gum that requires antibiotics. If a dental problem does arise, the dentist can offer solutions that may not require an office visit such as pain relievers or a change in diet. If a trip to the dentist is required, patients should be prepared for a COVID-19-positive visit with staff wearing masks and other personal protective equipment, such as face shields and hair coverings. It is also a good idea to bring a snack for your child to keep them happy and occupied during the visit.