Broken tooth
If your child have a broken tooth, see your pediatric dentist as soon as possible. Your dentist can figure out if the break was caused by a cavity or trauma, and if the tooth's nerve is in danger. A damaged nerve usually will require nerve treatment.
Until you get to the dentist's office:
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Have your child rinse mouth well with warm water.
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Apply pressure with a piece of gauze on any bleeding areas for about 10 minutes or until the bleeding stops. If this doesn’t work, use a tea bag with pressure on the area to stop the bleeding.
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Apply a cold pack to the cheek or lips over the broken tooth. This will help reduce swelling and relieve pain.
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If you can't get to your dentist right away, cover the part of the tooth that is in your mouth with temporary dental cement. You can find this at a drugstore.
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Take an over-the-counter pain reliever.
Seeing a dentist as soon as possible will decrease chance of complication later.
Lost / knocked out tooth
If your child loses an adult tooth, try to gently place it back in the socket if you can. If you can't, place it between the child's cheek and gum or, if you're concerned they might swallow it, place it in some milk and call the dentist immediately or take your child to the emergency room. Do not touch the tooth root, which can be easily damaged. Many teeth can be placed back in the socket as long as the child is treated right away.
If your child lost a baby tooth. DO NOT put the tooth back in the socket. Apply pressure to where tooth came out and contact your paediatric dentist as soon as possible.
Sore tooth/toothache
Rinse mouth with warm water. Use dental floss to remove any food trapped between the teeth, then rinse. If there's swelling, place an ice pack or cold compress on the outside of the cheek (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off). Do not use heat. Pain medication may be taken orally to relieve pain. See your paediatric dentist as soon as possible
Lost fillings
Put a piece of softened sugarless chewing gum in the spot where the filling was lost. This will protect the area for a short period of time. See a dentist as soon as possible.
Dental infections/Facial swellings
Abscesses are infections that occur around the root of a tooth or in the space between the teeth and gums. Abscesses are a serious condition that can damage tissue and surrounding teeth, with the infection possibly spreading to other parts of the body if left untreated.
Because of the serious oral health and general health problems that can result from an abscess, see your paediatric dentist as soon as possible if you discover a pimple-like swelling on your child’s gum that usually is painful. In the meantime, to ease the pain and draw the pus toward the surface, try rinsing your child’s mouth with a mild salt water solution (1/2 teaspoon of table salt in 8 ounces of water) several times a day. Use syringe if your child cannot rinse mouth.
If your child have any of the following, go to a hospital emergency room. Your child may need IV antibiotics immediately.
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Swelling of the face
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Redness around the face
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Fever
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Difficulty swallowing
Soft-tissue injuries
Injuries to the soft tissues, which include the tongue, cheeks, gums, and lips, can result in bleeding. To control the bleeding, here's what to do:
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Rinse your child’s mouth with a mild salt-water solution.
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Use a moistened piece of gauze or tea bag to apply pressure to the bleeding site. Hold in place for 15 to 20 minutes.
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To both control bleeding and relieve pain, hold a cold compress to the outside of the mouth or cheek in the affected area for 5 to 10 minutes.
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If the bleeding doesn't stop, see your dentist right away or go to a hospital emergency room. Continue to apply pressure on the bleeding site with the gauze until your child can be seen and treated.