Dental Injuries – Prevention And Treatment For Your Kids

Preventing injuries is nearly impossible when you have an active child. Anything can happen at any given time, so you must be prepared. Here, you'll learn a little about preventing dental injuries and treating them once they occur.

Dental Injury Prevention

You can't exactly wrap your kids in bubble wrap to keep them safe, but there are things that you can do to decrease the likelihood of serious dental injuries.

Childproofing – Little ones don't slow down for anything. Because of this, they tend to fall and hit their heads off of this or that. Install corner cushions on the edges of tables and the fireplace hearth. Put up child-gates at the top and bottom of stairs and lock your cabinetry to keep your kids from climbing and falling.

Invest in a Good Mouthguard – Many parents only make their kids wear mouthguards when they're playing rough sports. The truth is, mouthguards should be worn during any activity that could result in impact to the head. So, when your kids are riding their bikes, playing sports or climbing around on jungle gyms, slip them a mouthguard. If your child is very active in sports, consider investing in a custom-made mouthguard for a perfect, comfortable fit.

Treating Dental Injuries

Dental injuries can be serious, but even the smallest injury can become complicated if you don't know how to handle the situation.

Bitten Tongue or Lip – Wrap a piece of ice in a paper towel and press it onto the bite. This should be all that you need to do, but if the bleeding doesn't stop within a couple of hours, or it is bleeding excessively, your dentist should be contacted. Keep an eye on the wound because infections can develop and slow the healing process or lead to complications.

Obstruction between the Teeth – Kids put all kinds of things in their mouths. Because of this, sometimes, stuff gets stuck between the teeth. Don't ignore it and hope that it works its way out on its own. Instead, get some dental floss or a water pick and try working it out. If you can't get it out within a day or so, contact the dentist. The longer you leave it in there, the more likely it is to cause the tooth to begin decaying.

Knocked out Tooth – If the tooth was a baby tooth, there's not too much to do, but if your child has just had an adult tooth knocked out, you must act quickly. Find the tooth and rinse it with cold water without touching the root. Put the tooth in a container of white milk and get to the dentist immediately. In some cases, the dentist will be able to get the tooth put back in place, but sometimes, there will be no choice but to opt for a dental implant to be put in to replace the knocked out tooth.

Always be prepared for what can happen. Keep your dentist's contact information on hand along with a first aid kit and you'll be ready.