Emergency Kids Dentist in Palos Heights, IL
Pediatric Dental Trauma
When your child experiences an injury, it can be traumatic for both you and your child. Because of the nature of childhood, dental trauma is common for kids of all ages.
Trauma occurs frequently because of sports, falls, or because of an object placed inside the mouth. Injuries while playing on the playground, at the park, and at birthday parties can take you off guard.
At Palos Pediatric Dentistry, we want you to know we are available to help if your child experiences a dental injury. Dr. Richard Facko understands that the efficient and effective treatment of your child’s dental emergency may help to save a tooth and prevent future dental complications.
Dr. Facko also understands that emergency situations are usually fraught with fear and anxiety, and he is experienced in treating your child and communicating with you about your child’s dental health during such a situation.
To learn more, read through the headlines below:
- When You Should Call Our Dental Office
- Common Emergency Dental Treatments
- Preventing Pediatric Dental Emergencies in Your Home
- Sports Guards in Palos Heights, IL
- Handling a Knocked-Out Tooth
- Tooth Displacement
- Tooth Fracture
When You Should Call Our Dental Office
If your child has a serious injury, call 911 or take them to the nearest emergency room. Signs of serious injury include:
- Serious bleeding that doesn’t slow or stop when pressure is applied
- Partial or complete loss of consciousness
- Feelings of nausea or disorientation
- Blurry vision or slurring while speaking
- Large gashes or cuts
- An object lodged inside his or her mouth
We realize that it is sometimes hard to know when it is appropriate for you to call our office. If your child is experiencing any of the below issues, you should probably give us a call:
- Experiences tooth pain or tenderness or feels sensitivity to cold or hot
- Has pain in their jaw or a clicking jaw
- Feels that their jaw is locked, whether it is closed or open
- Has a missing a tooth or has damaged his or her tooth
- Has a wound in his or her mouth
- Has a tooth that is cracked or displaced
- Has a tooth that has turned dark in color
If you are not sure whether your child is having a dental emergency that needs to be cared for immediately, call our office and we will help you determine if your child needs to visit us. We are here to help you and your child through any dental emergency situation you may experience.
Common Emergency Dental Treatments
As mentioned above, pediatric dental emergencies often include trauma. Therefore, emergency treatments for children generally include repairing damaged or missing teeth or repairing a wound in the mouth.
If your child is experiencing severe toothache or jaw issues, it may be considered an emergency as well.
Common emergency dental treatments include:
- Repair or re-implantation of a missing tooth
- Repair of a cracked tooth
- Care of a wound or wounds inside the mouth
- Treatment of a dental infection
- Resetting a displaced tooth
Preventing Pediatric Dental Emergencies in Your Home
To help prevent pediatric dental emergencies, you can try to child-proof your home with products like baby gates. You can place baby gates at the tops and bottoms of stairs in your home to help prevent falls that could cause a dental injury.
Also, don’t allow your child to chew on hard objects. Even chewing on ice can potentially damage your child’s teeth. Other objects, like popcorn kernels, can also be damaging.
Finally, help your child maintain his or her oral hygiene. Regular brushing and flossing will help prevent cavities and severe toothaches from developing.
Sports Guards in Palos Heights, IL
If your child plays physical sports, such as baseball, football, or hockey, they could have a dental emergency due to contact during a game or practice. To help protect your child’s teeth during physical sports and games, make sure they always wear a well-fitted sports guard in their mouth.
Sports guards are custom-made plastic protectors that cover your child’s upper teeth, helping to defend them against flying balls, swinging bats, the ground, and other kids. Make sure your child is wearing the sports guard throughout the game and that they are wearing it correctly.
Because kids' teeth can change quickly, the fit of the sports guard should be checked regularly to make sure you are still getting the correct fit.
Handling a Knocked-Out Tooth
If your child experiences trauma that causes a lost or “knocked out” tooth, the first thing you should do is find the tooth, if possible, and check to see if it is a permanent tooth or a baby tooth. If the tooth is one of your child’s permanent teeth, we will try to save the tooth.
Once you have found the tooth, rinse it with clean water and try to help your child put the tooth back in place and hold it there, if that is a possibility. If not, keep it moist until your appointment.
After that, you should call us immediately for assistance. As long as the tooth is in good shape, we can attempt to re-implant your child’s tooth in its place. It is important that we try to re-implant the tooth if that is at all possible.
If the tooth your child loses is a baby tooth, we will not re-implant it, so it is best to allow your child to leave that tooth under the pillow for the tooth fairy. However, you will still need to bring your child in for a dental exam to be sure there is no damage and that no tooth fragments remain in your child’s mouth.
If you are unsure whether the tooth is a permanent tooth or a baby tooth, feel free to call us for assistance.
Tooth Displacement
If your child experiences trauma due to a fall or physical force, it is possible for a tooth to be displaced. A displaced tooth is pushed out of place but does not come out of the mouth or socket. The tooth could be displaced sideways, forward, or backward.
If your child experiences tooth displacement, have them rinse their mouth out with water and use ice packs to control any areas of swelling. Then call our office for further assistance.
Once in our office, the dentist will examine the tooth to make sure the pulp is not damaged. If the root is healthy and undamaged, the tooth will be repositioned by the dentist. If it is not too far out of place, it may be possible for the dentist to gently push the tooth back into its correct spot.
When the tooth is back in its original position, it may need to be splinted in place while it heals. If the root was damaged due to the injury, your child may need a root canal.
Tooth Fracture
Tooth fractures are not uncommon in children. The treatment of the tooth fracture will depend on the severity of the crack in the tooth.
If your child fractures a tooth, whether it is in a fall or due to biting down on something hard, we will examine your child’s tooth in our office, using x-rays or other methods to verify the full extent of the damage before proceeding with treatment
If your child has fractured his or her tooth and you are unsure how severe the fracture is, feel free to call our office for help.
Call Our Palos Heights Office if Your Child Experiences Dental Trauma
If you have questions or concerns about a dental injury your child has experienced, please call our office as soon as possible. Your little one’s comfort and health are our number one priority. Dr. Facko will answer your questions and let you know if an office visit is necessary. You can also check out a more detailed breakdown of dental costs here.
If an office visit is needed, we will make the appointment as comfortable and free of anxiety as possible for both you and your child. We are here to help you through your dental emergencies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pediatric Emergency Dentistry in Palos Heights, IL
Parents sometimes don’t know when to call our office or what constitutes a dental emergency. Certainly, some situations are clear, but others may make you question whether it’s time to call on the weekends or after hours.
It is important to remember that if your child is bleeding severely, dizzy, or has a broken jaw or other serious condition, call 911 or take your child to the nearest emergency room immediately. We can address their dental issues once the more serious injuries have been treated.
Typically, anytime your child experiences dental pain, we encourage you to give us a call. Teething is naturally painful for toddlers, but beyond that, we should see your child to make sure everything is okay.
A broken or lost tooth is another situation where we want to see your child as soon as possible. Sometimes, we can save the tooth if proper steps are followed.
If your child has swollen or bleeding gums, a pimple-like eruption on their gums, or something that is painful, sensitive, or out of the ordinary, we will want to perform an exam to make sure that they do not have something lodged in their gum tissue or an infection that needs treatment.
Other situations like dark teeth, broken orthodontic wires or brackets, lost fillings, and other conditions can be addressed on a case by case basis. We will always err on the side of caution with your child in order to keep his or her smile bright and healthy.
Contact Us
If you are concerned about your child's oral health, please do not hesitate to call our local Palos Heights office. An experienced member of our team can answer all your questions, help you determine if it is a dental emergency, and schedule you for an emergency appointment.
We know that as a parent, you never want to have to take your child to the dentist for an emergency. We would like to help you avoid emergency dental visits as well! One of the best ways to keep your little one’s teeth healthy and comfortable is by bringing them in for their routine preventative appointments and professional dental cleanings. That way, we can stop most dental emergencies before they start!
Prevention, Prevention, Prevention!
When we see a condition that we’re concerned about, we will let you know right away. That way, we can address the issue before it causes your child pain or problems.
In order to keep your child free of dental emergencies while at play, we offer custom sports guards for them to wear during practice. Wearing a sports guard can protect your child’s smile when they miss the ball or get a little too rowdy on the field.
We also know that some dental emergencies are unavoidable and we are committed to being your emergency dentist. We always have your child’s best interest in mind, so if you’re ever in doubt about your little one’s condition, call us and we can walk you through a series of questions to determine the next step to restore your child’s health.
Accidents happen, especially when kids are learning to eat or enjoying crunchy foods. If your child stabs their gums or the roof of their mouth while eating, it’s understandable to feel concerned. In most cases, these types of injuries are minor and heal on their own within a few days. You can rinse the area gently with warm salt water to keep it clean and monitor for signs of swelling or persistent pain.
However, there are instances when this kind of injury may require the attention of an emergency dentist for kids in Palos Heights. If the wound is deep, bleeding doesn’t stop after applying pressure for 10 minutes, or your child is experiencing severe pain, it’s important to seek immediate care. These signs could indicate a more serious issue that requires professional treatment to prevent infection or further complications.
Call Our Emergency Dentist in Palos Heights!
At Palos Pediatric Dentistry, we’re here to provide compassionate, expert care when you need it most. If you’re unsure whether your child’s injury is an emergency, please don’t hesitate to contact our dental office. We’ll assess the situation and guide you on the next steps to ensure your little one’s comfort and safety.
Your child’s health is always our top priority!
If your child's tooth is knocked out, it is critical that you get to the dentist as soon as possible. Time is of the essence, and the quicker we can treat it, the better our chances of saving it.
The important thing is to remain calm and act as quickly as possible.
Handle the Tooth with Care
Transporting the tooth carefully is critical. Never touch the roots; only handle the tooth with the crown (the white portion you can see). If you can replace the tooth into its socket, this is the best way to transport it. If not, use milk or saliva to keep the tooth's cells moist and alive during transport.
There's a good chance your pediatric dentist can reattach the tooth and save it if they can treat it quickly. Your dentist will discuss options with you if the tooth is not salvageable. Your child may require a tooth implant or bridge when they're older if we can't save the knocked-out tooth.
If you need prompt pediatric dentistry in Oak Lawn, don't hesitate to contact your team at Palos Pediatric Dentistry at (708) 263-6708. We're here for your family when you need us most, during dental emergencies!
Toothache in Kids
I find that Children’s Motrin or the generic version, ibuprofen, works best for tooth pain. I do not prescribe narcotics for dental pain under any circumstance. If ibuprofen is not effective at managing your child’s tooth pain, you can call my office to discuss alternatives for pain management.
Children's Dental Emergencies
If your child is in a lot of pain, they knocked out a tooth, or their tooth pain presents as sensitivity to temperatures, then it may be a dental emergency. If that is the case, our office will be able to get your child in sooner to treat their dental pain fast.
Meet Our Doctor:
Richard Facko DDS, MS
Meet Dr. Richard Facko: Your Pediatric Dentist
Dr. Richard Facko, DDS, is the founder and Pediatric Dentist at Palos Pediatric Dentistry, PC. Since founding the practice in 2013, he has been dedicated to providing a high level of care for the families in his hometown. Dr. Facko has been a pediatric dentist since 2012 and loves guiding child patients toward finding the confidence in themselves to experience the dentist without fear.
Education & Certifications
Dr. Facko's roots are in the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago, where he grew up and attended Palos 128 and ...
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