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Home › Articles › Toddler Health › Children's Dental Emergencies

Children's Dental Emergencies

A Parent's Guide to Chips, Fractures and Tooth Avulsions

By Shannon McKelden

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"A chipped tooth should be restored by a dentist with a composite (tooth-colored) filling," says Dr. Richard Landgren, director of the Pediatric Clinic for Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health. With colored fillings it is difficult to tell the tooth was ever damaged.

The best plan of action may just be to take the fragment with you and let your pediatric dentist decide the best plan for repair in your child's situation.

Loose Teeth
When Nancy Klein's 13-year-old daughter went up for a header in a soccer game she made contact with more than the ball. "The other girl's cheek hit Emily square in the mouth and knocked her right front tooth back at about a 45-degree angle," says Klein from Charlottesville, Va.

They reacted appropriately by packing the tooth with ice and going to see their dentist. The tooth was pulled gently back into place and braced to the other front tooth. Klein says Emily suffered no permanent damage to the tooth and now it is as good as new.

"Primary teeth are much more likely to be loosened or displaced than 'fractured' because younger children tend to have supporting bone structures that are less dense and spongier," Dr. Vann says.

Even if a tooth is only loosened, a dental examination is still important to assure there is no permanent damage to tooth or root, which may not always be visible to the naked eye. As with all dental trauma, X-rays are likely to be needed to assess the injury.


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