3 Ways to Protect Your Child's Teeth
Prevention and early intervention are the best tools available to protect your child’s teeth from cavities and other oral health problems. Here are three tips to help protect your child’s teeth and gums.
Knocked-Out Baby Tooth: Is it a Dental Emergency?
Like adult teeth, baby teeth are vulnerable to chips, cracks, fractures, cavities, and getting knocked out. Since baby teeth are temporary and will eventually fall out on their own, you might wonder if your child needs to see a dentist when a baby tooth is knocked out.
At Oasis Pediatric Dental Care and Orthodontics, our dentists Dr. Nathalie Phaeton, Dr. Ki Youn Kil, and our team offer pediatric dentistry services at our office in Falls Church, Virginia.
Is a knocked-out baby tooth an emergency?
Every child is different, but most children tend to lose their primary (baby) teeth around age six or seven. If your child’s tooth is knocked out prematurely, there are a few steps you can take to try and preserve the tooth.
Baby teeth may be temporary, but when they fall out or are knocked out prematurely, it can cause bite and alignment problems like crooked teeth or crowding. It can also affect your child’s ability to chew and swallow their food.
What to do if your child’s tooth is knocked out
If you’re not sure what to do in case of a prematurely lost or knocked-out baby tooth, give us a call for instructions and to discuss your options. Our dentists offer dental emergency treatment to help you get an appointment as quickly as possible.
When permanent teeth are knocked out, they can sometimes be reattached under certain circumstances.
In the case of a knocked-out baby tooth, your child may be fit with a space maintainer to hold space for the eventual eruption of the permanent tooth. A space maintainer takes the place of the baby tooth in the socket to prevent problems like crowding or shifting as your child’s permanent teeth grow in.
When to take your baby to the dentist
Taking care of your child’s baby teeth is an important step in ensuring their permanent teeth develop properly and on time.
The first tooth generally erupts around six months for most children, and our dentists recommend scheduling your baby’s first appointment once the first tooth erupts, or by their first birthday.
In addition to checking your child’s teeth and gums to ensure they’re developing properly, our team answers all of your questions and provides instructions on how to clean and care for your baby’s teeth and gums, and what to look out for as the rest of their baby teeth continue to erupt.
Like permanent teeth, baby teeth are vulnerable to cavities, tooth decay, and trauma from falls and accidents. Our pediatric dentistry team is available to help you meet your child’s pediatric dentistry needs.
For more information about pediatric dental emergencies and how to care for your child’s baby teeth, contact Oasis Pediatric Dental Care and Orthodontics today to schedule an appointment.
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