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¡Se Habla Español! • Insurance/Medicaid • Dental Emergencies
(254) 727-7144 4311 W Adams Ave Suite 201
Temple, TX 76504
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Emergency Pediatric Dentist — Temple, TX

Professional Care When Your Child Needs It Most

Children are both energetic and clumsy, which can lead to accidents where their teeth pay the price. Not only that, but they also often lack the diligence of brushing and flossing. As a result, they’re more likely to suffer from severe toothaches that need immediate treatment. If your child ever finds themselves experiencing a dental emergency in Temple, don’t hesitate to give our office a call. We’ll do everything we can to provide relief and get your child’s smile back on the right track!

young girl smiling while in dental chair

Why Choose Temple Choice Dental for Emergency Dental Care?

How We Treat Dental Emergencies

  • Schedule a same-day appointment. Does your child have a dental emergency? Give us a call right away! We’ll schedule you in as soon as possible, likely on the same day as your child’s injury.
  • Perform a quick examination. When you get to our office, we’ll thoroughly check your child’s mouth and take X-rays to determine the extent of the issue.
  • Review findings and treatment options. Our team will go over the findings with you and explain your treatment options.
  • Get your child the care they need. Once you’ve agreed to a treatment plan, we’ll work quickly to get your child prompt relief. Before you know it, they’ll be back to enjoying a beautiful, healthy smile once again!
young girl smiling visiting dentist in Temple

The Most Common Pediatric Dental Emergencies

As a parent, it can be hard to stay calm when your child is in pain. However, it’s incredibly important to stay calm and collected while you navigate this predicament. The first thing you should do is give our office a call, even if you’re unsure whether your child’s situation qualifies as an emergency. We’ll provide first-aid instructions and schedule an appointment right away. In the meantime, click on the icons below to learn how to handle some of the most common pediatric dental emergencies.

Understanding the Cost of Pediatric Dental Emergencies 

There is no fixed price for emergency dental care. Since every child is unique, the cost can vary significantly on a case-by-case basis. When you bring your little one to our office, we’ll quickly evaluate their situation and recommend treatments based on their unique case. Before moving forward with anything, we’ll thoroughly explain the pricing information so you know exactly what to expect. Our goal is to make these visits as affordable as possible, which is why we happily welcome dental insurance and accept flexible financing.

calculating cost of dental emergency in Temple

How to Prevent Pediatric Dental Emergencies

While you can’t prevent every dental emergency, you can dramatically lower your little one’s risk with the following tips:

  • Help them maintain good oral hygiene
  • Keep hard, crunchy foods out of sight
  • Protect their teeth with a custom mouthguard
  • Never let your child use their teeth as tools
young girl brushing teeth in bathroom

Pediatric Dental Emergency FAQs

If your child knocks out a tooth or sustains another serious dental injury, you may panic. How can you help them? Where should you take them for treatment? Don’t worry – our Temple dental team is just a phone call away. Plus, we dedicated this next section to answering FAQs we hear from parents about pediatric dental emergencies.

Will my child’s toothache go away on its own?

No, toothaches typically do not go away on their own. In fact, if your child was complaining of tooth pain and their symptoms are now gone, that may be a sign that an infection has “killed” the nerve, necessitating root canal therapy. In short, we recommend giving our team a call when your child first brings any abnormal dental symptoms to your attention. That way, we can restore the function of their tooth and the health of their smile ASAP.

Should I take my child to the emergency room for dental emergencies?

The ER will certainly be able to alleviate any pain your child is experiencing. However, it’s rare for hospitals to have a dentist on staff, which is why we don’t recommend taking them to the ER unless they have fractured their jaw or are experiencing potentially life-threatening symptoms (i.e., difficulty swallowing, trouble breathing, uncontrollable bleeding). If your child has knocked out a tooth, has an abscess on their gums, or is experiencing another abnormal dental symptom, then call our Temple dental team right away.

Do chipped teeth heal?

Enamel has a lot of benefits, including that it’s the hardest substance in the human body. However, it cannot regenerate. So, if your child has chipped one of their teeth, the only way to restore the missing structure is by visiting us for treatment.

Are knocked-out baby teeth a dental emergency?

Yes, a knocked-out baby tooth is a dental emergency, particularly if it came out earlier than expected. If this happens to your child, then do your best to assess their symptoms. If they have dislocated their jaw or the bleeding doesn’t stop within 10 minutes, take them to the ER. If the only issue at hand is that their tooth is out of its socket, then call our office. We will give you step-by-step instructions on what to do until your child arrives for treatment with our Temple emergency dentist.

Should knocked-out teeth be placed in water?

When an adult loses a tooth, it can be placed back in its socket. However, that’s not recommended for primary teeth since they are supposed to fall out. The best thing to do in this situation is call our team ASAP. That way, we can give you instructions on how to handle this dental injury with important information in mind, including your child’s age.

Can I pop a dental abscess on my own?

No, you should never pop a dental abscess on your own. This can result in further dental damage, including exposing your child’s mouth to additional bacteria. If you notice a pimple-like bump on your child’s gums, call us right away.

Daughter hugging mom from behind on couch

Toothaches  

Is My Child's Toothache a Dental Emergency? Toothaches, even small ones, are an indicator that something is wrong. So, if your child brings their symptoms to your attention or you notice anything abnormal, like they are wincing when biting down, call our Temple dental team ASAP to schedule an appointment for them to come in for an exam.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Toothache To avoid exacerbating the issue, we recommend that parents don’t give their child anything too hot or cold, like soup or ice cream. It’s also important to keep their mouth clean to prevent additional damage, so have them rinse with a mixture of salt and warm water periodically.

How We Treat Toothaches in Children When your child comes in for their appointment, we will help them get settled into the treatment chair before asking them a few questions about their symptoms. Then, we will conduct an oral exam and take X-rays to determine the source of their toothache. Once we know what’s causing it and how severe the damage is, we can discuss which restorative treatment is ideal, like a tooth-colored filling or dental crown.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH-COLORED FILLINGS

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL CROWNS

Cracked Tooth  

Is My Child's Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? Your child can crack a tooth in several ways – from sports-related injuries to accidentally biting into a popcorn kernel. Regardless of the cause, this is a dental injury that requires immediate treatment. So, don’t wait – call our Temple dental team to schedule an appointment for your child right away.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Cracked Tooth If your child is in pain, then you can give them a children’s OTC pain reliever as instructed. To protect the tooth from breaking further, it’s important that your child doesn’t chew on that side of their mouth in the meantime, especially anything that’s crunchy, hard, or sticky.

How We Treat Children's Cracked Teeth Our goal is always to save your child’s natural teeth whenever possible. For that reason, we will first determine if we can restore their cracked tooth with a dental crown. If that’s not feasible, then we may have to remove it instead and use a dental bridge or space maintainer to preserve the alignment of their teeth.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL CROWNS

LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH EXTRACTIONS

Chipped Teeth  

Is My Child's Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? Although both small and large chips warrant a call to our Temple dental office, your child might not need same-day treatment if they aren’t in pain. Don’t worry – we will learn more about what happened and their symptoms over the phone to determine how to best proceed.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Chipped Tooth A chipped tooth isn’t just at risk of breaking further; it also can become infected and result in uncomfortable sensitivity. For these reasons, you should have your child thoroughly rinse their mouth with clean, lukewarm water before covering their chipped tooth with some sugar-free gum.

How We Treat Children's Chipped Teeth Of course, important information like the location of the tooth and the size of the chip needs to be considered first. With that said, cosmetic dental bonding is a popular option because it’s pain-free, cost-effective, and quick.

Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth

Is a knocked-out permanent tooth an emergency? Yes! A knocked-out permanent tooth is an urgent dental emergency that needs to be addressed immediately. You will need to act quickly and get your child to an emergency dentist for the best chance of saving their tooth. Otherwise, the tooth would need to be replaced entirely.

How you should handle a knocked-out permanent tooth: First, try to find your child’s tooth. Remember to only pick it up by the crown – not the root. Gently rinse the tooth with warm (not hot!) water. Don’t scrub off any remaining tissue. If you or your child is able, place the tooth back into their mouth. If you can’t, place it in a container or milk or saliva. It is crucial that the tooth root remains moist until your child makes it to the dental office, but don’t use water. This can damage the root surface cells of the tooth. Ideally, your child should see a dentist within an hour of the injury.

How we treat knocked-out permanent teeth: If your child can get to the dental office soon enough, we will do our best to reimplant their teeth. Their dentist will do this by positioning it carefully back into the socket and splinting it to a neighboring tooth so it can heal. However, if their tooth cannot be saved, we will need to discuss tooth replacement options.

Knocked-Out Baby Tooth

Is a knocked-out baby tooth an emergency? This depends on the situation. If your child’s baby tooth has been knocked out, it is important that we examine their smile to ensure that the permanent tooth underneath is still in good shape.

How you should handle a knocked-out baby tooth: You shouldn’t attempt to put a baby tooth back like you would with a permanent tooth. It doesn’t need to be kept moist either. Instead, just bring it with you to your child’s appointment.

How we treat knocked-out baby teeth: In some cases, no treatment is required at all! However, if the tooth came out prematurely, we may need to place a space maintainer to prevent neighboring teeth from shifting around. This can trap the erupting permanent tooth beneath the gums.

Bitten Tongue, Lip, Cheek

Is a bitten tongue, lip, or cheek an emergency? A cut to the mouth can be alarming because the area can bleed quite a bit. This isn’t usually a dental emergency, but your child’s dentist can help if needed.

How you should handle your child’s soft tissue injury: Clean the area gently with water. Apply pressure with gauze or a clean washcloth to stop the bleeding. A cold compress can also be used to reduce inflammation and discomfort around the mouth.

How we treat soft tissue injuries in children: Your child’s dentist will check to ensure that only the soft tissues were injured. If the teeth have also been damaged, your child will probably need additional treatment. If needed, their dentist can stitch up the wound. For bleeding that cannot be controlled or stopped, you should take your child to the emergency room.

Dental Concussion

Sensitive Teeth

Lost Filling/Crown

Something Stuck between Teeth