What You Should Do When Your Child Has a Toothache
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When you have children, you know there’s always something you’re going to be dealing with. If your child comes to you with a toothache, it’s important you get it taken care of right away. The following are some things you can do to help your child with the pain.
Rinse the Affected Tooth
The first thing you should do upon finding out your child has a toothache is rinse the affected area with warm salt water. To aid with pain relief, this can be done two or three times each day until your child is able to get to a dentist. The salt water gently removes bacteria, acting as an antiseptic. If your child’s face has become swollen due to an infected tooth, a cold compress could also help.
Offer Pain Medication
Giving your child the proper dose of children’s acetaminophen will help with the pain for the time being. If the pain is extremely bad, you may want to seek emergency dental help. If it’s manageable with acetaminophen, keep it up until you are able to get into the dentist’s office for an appointment.
Schedule an Appointment
As soon as you know your child’s tooth hurts, you should contact a pediatric dentist. You don’t know how long the pain will last, whether it will get worse or if something specific triggers the pain. For that reason, it’s important you get in touch with the dentist as soon as possible. Schedule an appointment, but also ask the receptionist if your child can get on a cancellation list so if another patient cancels, your child can be seen sooner. Many pediatric dentists have appointment times set aside just for those types of situations, so it shouldn’t be too long before your child can be seen.
Follow the Dentist’s Instructions
Your child may need a filling, an extraction or possibly another procedure to ensure the pain is relieved. Your dentist will determine the best course of treatment so you can make the proper decision regarding your child’s oral health. Whether or not a procedure is needed, be sure to follow the instructions of your child’s dentist on how to properly take care of your child’s teeth from here on out.
Contact a Dentist Today
If your child has a toothache, rinse the affected area, apply a cold compress if needed, offer pain medication and set up an appointment with a pediatric dentist. If you have any other pediatric dental questions, contact a dentist, like a Family Dentist in Apex, NC, today for answers.
Thank you to the experts at Alliance Dentistry for their input into pediatric and family dentists.
