Pediatric Emergency Dentist – Dublin, CA

Immediate Dental Care When Your Child Needs It

Family of three smiling after visiting pediatric emergency dentist in Dublin

In a perfect world, dental emergencies would never occur. Unfortunately, in the real world, they happen all too often, resulting in panicked parents and frightened children. At Waterford Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics of Dublin, we believe in equipping our patients with the right tools so that appropriate steps are taken to get help. Offering 24-hour pediatric emergency dental care here in Dublin, our team can work quickly to get your child in, eliminate the pain, and address the underlying issue so that they walk away with a damage-free smile. Call us if your child needs immediate assistance with a dental injury.

Why Choose Waterford Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics for Pediatric Emergency Dentistry?

  • Three Types of Dental Sedation Available
  • Advanced Dental Technology for Easy Viewing
  • Your Dental Insurance is Welcome

How We Handle Dental Emergencies

Mother holding washcloth to childs bleeding lip

The first step is to call our office and let us know about the situation. Our team will work quickly to get you in so that we can begin to pinpoint the problem area and eliminate the pain. After taking digital X-rays and images of your child’s smile, we will analyze our findings and develop a treatment plan. Based on our recommendations, we will go over how we plan to address the problem so that your child’s smile will look and feel brand-new.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

You may not know when a situation is a real dental emergency, but the important thing to remember is that if your child is complaining of pain, make sure to call and talk to a member of our team right away. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to dental health. Below are some of the most common injuries we treat in-house:

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

Mother and baby brushing their teeth together

You cannot always prevent a dental injury, but you can take steps to safeguard your child’s smile and help them avoid infections, decay, and disease. Below are just a few simple tips to consider when it comes to minimizing your child’s risk of a dental emergency:

  • Make sure they practice good oral hygiene at home
  • Keep up with their six-month dental checkups and teeth cleanings
  • Have them wear a custom athletic mouthguard when playing sports
  • Limit their snacking and make sure they’re consuming healthy, nutrient-rich foods
  • Watch their lifestyle habits to make sure they’re not biting their fingernails, eating ice, or smoking/vaping

Cost of Treating a Child’s Dental Emergencies

Family of four talking to dental office receptionist

We cannot determine the cost of your child’s dental emergency until we see them for their appointment. The severity of the situation as well as the type of restorative care they will need determines how much you can expect this type of care to cost. But don’t worry, as our team will make sure that we review your dental insurance plan (if you have one) and maximize any benefits you currently have. We’ll also go over additional payment options should you need further assistance to pay for treatment.

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Toothaches  

Is My Child's Toothache a Dental Emergency? There are some cases when toothaches warrant same-day care, including if your child’s tooth has been hurting for more than 24 hours or there is a crack in their enamel. If that’s the case, schedule an appointment with our kid's emergency dentist in Dublin right away.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Toothache There are a few steps we recommend taking, including having them rinse with warm saltwater, use a cold compress for 10 minutes at a time, and eat soft, bland foods, like plain yogurt and oatmeal.

How We Treat Toothaches in Children Oftentimes, a cavity is the root of the problem. If that’s the case, we will review all of their treatment options, including a tooth-colored filling and dental crown. We’ll also determine how to reduce their risk of decay moving forward, such as having dental sealants placed on their molars or adding a fluoride treatment to their routine cleanings.

Cracked Tooth  

Is My Child's Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, especially if the damage is visible! If that’s the case, call our Dublin dental team ASAP. In addition to scheduling an emergency appointment for your child, we will walk you through how to alleviate any pain they are experiencing as well as how to protect their tooth from further harm in the meantime.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Cracked Tooth An over-the-counter pain reliever for kids can help alleviate inflammation, sensitivity, and pain until their visit. Rinsing with clean, room-temperature water, not chewing on that side of their mouth, and sticking to extremely soft foods, like plain yogurt, is also advised.

How We Treat Children's Cracked Teeth Fortunately, even cracked teeth can often be saved with dental crowns. If the damage is so severe that we have no choice but to extract the tooth, then we will do so before determining if any further care is needed, like having a space maintainer made to prevent dental drift.

Chipped Teeth  

Is My Child's Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? If your child is experiencing any pain stemming from their chipped tooth, you shouldn’t hesitate to call us. If they aren’t experiencing any abnormal symptoms, on the other hand, then you can keep a close eye on the tooth and come to our office before the end of the week.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Chipped Tooth To prevent an infection from forming or the tooth from breaking further, we recommend having your child rinse with clean, room-temperature water and then placing some sugar-free gum over the sharp edge. It’s also of the utmost importance that they don’t eat anything crunchy or chew on that side of their mouth.

How We Treat Children's Chipped Teeth After we’ve examined your child’s tooth, we can review their treatment options. Although there are several factors that need to be considered, including the severity of the damage, cosmetic dental bonding is usually an option. Not only does this come in several lifelike shades, but the treatment process is completely painless and can be completed in just one visit.

Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth

Is A Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? Since the tooth starts to die after only 15 minutes, the answer is a resounding “yes!” We recommend calling our office right away so a helpful member of our team can schedule an appointment with our pediatric emergency dentist in Dublin within the hour and provide instructions on how to help your child until their appointment.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth: Calling us to schedule an emergency visit is a great first step. It’s also important that you find your child’s tooth, pick it up by the crown, rinse it with clean water, and place it back in the socket. If attempting to do so is too scary for your little one, that’s okay – you can put it in a clean container filled with milk or saline solution.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Permanent Teeth: In addition to alleviating any pain your child is feeling, we will complete a comprehensive oral exam to determine if the tooth can be saved. If that’s not possible, then we will need to explore alternatives, like having a space maintainer made.

Knocked-Out Baby Tooth

Is a Knocked-Out Baby Tooth a Dental Emergency? Ideally, your child’s baby teeth would fall out on their own. However, it doesn’t always happen that way. If a tooth gets knocked out prematurely, then it’s important that you schedule an appointment with our team at Waterford Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Baby Tooth: First, have your child rinse their mouth gently with clean water and use a tissue to control any bleeding. If they are in pain, you can also place a cold compress against the outside of their cheek for 10 minutes at a time and, if that doesn’t work, provide them with OTC pain medication for kids.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Baby Teeth: During your child’s appointment, we will take a look at their mouth to determine if any light repairs are needed to the teeth surrounding the new gap. We will also determine if a space maintainer needs to be made to ensure that those same teeth don’t tilt or drift out of position before the underlying permanent tooth has a chance to emerge.

Bitten Tongue, Lip, Cheek

Is a Bitten Tongue, Lip, or Cheek an Emergency? Soft tissue injuries like these often produce a lot of blood, which can be scary. However, they usually don’t require a visit to our office; you can stop the bleeding and alleviate any lingering inflammation with a few simple steps!

How You Should Handle Your Child's Soft Tissue Injury: First, have them rinse their mouth gently with clean, cool water so you can see the cut clearly. Then, use some gauze or a damp, clean washcloth to apply pressure. Within 10 minutes, the bleeding should stop.

How We Treat Soft Tissue Injuries in Children: If the cut in your child’s mouth does not stop bleeding, even after applying pressure for 10 minutes, then you should call 911 or head to the ER.

Dental Concussion

Sensitive Teeth

Lost Filling or Crown

Something Stuck Between the Teeth