Emergency Pediatric Dentist – Denver, CO
Immediate Care Right When You Need It
If your child is complaining of a terrible toothache or has just suffered a dental injury, the last thing you probably want to do is waste time in a waiting room. Should your child ever need urgent dental care, all you have to do is call Wash Park Pediatric Dentistry. Our team will schedule you for an immediate appointment so we can figure out what is causing the problem and provide your child with relief right away. You should go ahead and put our dental office’s number in your phone right now, so you don’t have to look it up right when you need it!
Why Choose Wash Park Pediatric Dentistry for Emergency Dentistry?
- Same-Day Appointments Available
- Friendly Team & Sedation Can Help Calm Any Nerves
- Happy to Serve Children with Mental, Physical, & Sensory Special Needs
How to Handle Common Dental Emergencies
No matter what your child’s dental emergency might be, the best thing you can do is reach out for professional help as quickly as possible. When you’re on the phone with our team, we’ll walk you through first-aid tips and schedule an appointment right away if needed. You will still have to deal with the problem before you’re able to reach us, however, but the following tips should help you take control of any situation:
My Child Has a Toothache
Rinse and floss around the tooth to remove any food debris that might be stuck. If your child still feels pain, have them take an OTC medicine, and apply a cold compress to their face.
My Child Chipped/Broke a Permanent Tooth
Try to recover as many pieces of the tooth that you can, put them in a safe container, and be sure to bring them to our dental office. A cold compress can help minimize any pain or swelling, and be sure to cover the remaining tooth if it has a sharp edge. Some sugarless gum or dental wax can help you do this.
My Child Knocked Out a Baby Tooth
Even though the baby teeth are meant to fall out, if a tooth is knocked out due to trauma, you should still bring your child to see us right away. This way, we can make sure their surrounding teeth and jawbone didn’t sustain any injuries. We may also choose to place a space maintainer, as losing teeth too early can lead to the baby teeth drifting out of position and blocking the incoming adult teeth.
My Child Knocked-Out a Permanent Tooth
While it is possible to put a knocked-out permanent tooth back into place, we can only do so about an hour or two after the accident, so you need to move fast! Find the tooth, rinse it off while avoiding any tissue still attached to the root, and make sure it stays wet until you reach our dental office. To do this, place it back into the socket, have your child hold it between their cheek and gums, or store it in milk or saltwater.
My Child Lost a Filling
Even though your child might not feel any pain, you should still have the tooth repaired right away so the newly exposed enamel doesn’t develop any decay.
My Child has a Cut or Bitten Tongue, Lip, or Cheek
Apply pressure to the wound with a washcloth and if the bleeding continues for more than 10 minutes despite doing this, bring your child to the closest emergency room, as stitches are probably needed. If any of their teeth have been injured as well, contact our dental office only after they have been cleared by a doctor.
Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies
As your child grows, it is normal for them to experience minor bumps and bruises. No matter if they are learning to walk, playing their favorite sport, or they simply fall off their bike during an afternoon ride, accidents and injuries are a part of growing up. However, should your child experience a serious dental accident, Dr. Bowman and his team are here to provide the necessary emergency dentistry for kids in Wash Park. But wouldn’t it be nice to avoid these types of injuries from the start? If you would like to learn what you can do to better protect your child’s teeth and gums from serious harm, review the following information below. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office.
Visit Your Pediatric Dentist Regularly
If you’re only taking your child to see us when something is wrong, you aren’t taking full advantage of our care. Every six months, your child needs to come in for a checkup and cleaning appointment. Not only can regular professional cleanings remove cavity-causing plaque, but we can identify problems as early as possible—before they have a chance to hurt your little one. During these visits, your child should also be getting fluoride treatments, which fortifies tooth enamel. As soon as their permanent molars start to come in, you can consider getting dental sealants, which can prevent up to 80 percent of cavities in older kids!
Maintain Good Oral Hygiene At Home
From the moment your child’s first tooth erupts, harmful plaque and acid will attempt to break down the tooth enamel and cause cavities. This is why we suggest implementing a proper oral hygiene routine even while your child is still an infant. By starting at an early age, you can help your child develop positive oral habits that will carry with them well into adolescence and adulthood. As parents, you will need to brush their teeth for them, especially those hard-to-reach areas (premolars and molars). Because of their minimal dexterity, it can be difficult for them to clean these areas. If neglected, plaque and harmful acids can burrow into the pits and grooves of these teeth, causing cavities to form. But as your child grows, you will need to continue monitoring and guiding their oral habits to ensure they are effectively brushing and flossing all surfaces both in the morning and at night.
Stick to a Nutritious Diet
While it’s not uncommon for children to crave sweets and fruit juices, the truth is that these products contain dangerous amounts of sugar and acid, both of which can eat away at tooth enamel and cause cavities as well as increase their risk for childhood diabetes. Also, allowing your child to eat hard, crunchy foods places additional pressure on their teeth, which can potentially cause breaks, fractures, or chips in their tooth enamel.
To avoid a trip to the emergency dentist, make sure your child is drinking plenty of water and/or milk and eating healthier foods like vegetables, fruits, cheese, and protein.
Wear a Mouthguard
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends all youth to wear a mouthguard while participating in organized sports. The National Youth Sports Safety Foundation (NYSSF) estimated that without a proper mouthguard, a child is 60 times more likely to experience a sports-related injury.
According to the AAPD’s policy for prevention of sports-related orofacial injuries, which was compiled using multiple references and resources from professional dental and sports-related organizations, the AAPD strongly encourages “mandating the use of properly-fitted mouthguards in other organized sporting activities that carry a risk of orofacial injury.”
If your child enjoys playing sports, it’s important that you equip them with the best protection possible. By asking your child’s pediatric dentist in Wash Park about a custom mouthguard, you can ensure their teeth and gums are better protected against broken, chipped, or knocked-out teeth as well as soft tissue lacerations.
Use Tools to Open Packages, Not Your Teeth
As an adult, you may not realize that using your teeth to open a package or container can be dangerous for your smile. Should your child see you doing this, they may be tempted to do the same. Teeth are not meant to perform the same tasks as traditional tools. They are designed for eating and chewing purposes only. Excessive wear and tear can lead to a breakdown of the tooth enamel, resulting in serious dental emergencies in the future. Should you see your child attempting to open a package with their teeth, stop them immediately, and use scissors or another appropriate tool to complete the task.
The Cost of Treating Your Child’s Dental Emergencies
Because there are so many types and severities of dental emergencies, the cost of your child’s urgent care will largely be based on their unique situation. Whatever the case may be, it’s always better for their health and your wallet if you come to see us quickly—this will allow us to treat a problem before it becomes much worse and requires a more extensive procedure. We’re happy to work with many dental insurances and offer low-to-no interest financing to make this type of care more affordable as well.
Every Emergency Situation is Different
When it comes to treating dental emergencies there is no one-size-fits-all treatment. Each case has to have a unique approach. For instance, two young patients may both have toothaches, but they may require different procedures to fix the problem. One may be treated with a tooth-colored filling, but the other may need a dental crown after a pulpectomy. Dr. Patrick will examine your child to see the extent of the damage done to their smile and discuss the treatment options available to you. Just remember that we’re here to help get your child out of pain and fix the cause of whatever is off with your child’s oral health!
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?
Your insurance coverage will depend on your plan. However, most benefits include common treatments for dental emergencies. In many scenarios, insurance covers about half of the cost of treatment, perhaps more for less invasive procedures. After we know what treatment your child needs, our team can answer your questions and help you understand how insurance works. We can verify your insurance benefits and let you know exactly how much you’ll be expected to pay out-of-pocket.
Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable
Regardless of your insurance coverage, we believe that cost should never stand between a child and a healthy smile. That’s why we’re more than happy to accept payment through third-party financing with CareCredit. Going this route allows you to make payments on a monthly basis, which can feel easier on your budget, instead of a one-lump sum. We can walk you through the application process and work with you to ease the burden of cost. Your child’s well-being and comfort are worth it!
Taking Care Of Your Child’s Smile Can Save You Money
Do you want the know the most affordable way to deal with a dental emergency? Prevent it to begin with! When your child takes the proper care of their teeth and gums, you can avoid the need to spend money on fixing damage. For instance, coming every six months for checkups is a great way to catch little cavities before they develop into big trouble. If your child isn’t doing so already, they need to be brushing and flossing their teeth on a daily basis to remove little bits of plaque and bacteria. Wearing a mouthguard also protects against chips, cracks, and knocked-out teeth. As you can see, a little bit of prevention can help you save big bucks on treatment down the road.