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Children are often at higher risks for dental emergencies like broken or chipped teeth. Because of their active lifestyles including sports, gym classes, and recess, they may be more at risk for damaging a tooth. If your child has a chipped tooth, one of the first things you should do is contact a dentist in your area to help your child address the problem. Before seeing the dentist, you may need to help your child handle any bleeding or pain they are experiencing after chipping their tooth. In this article we will cover what to do and when to seek medical help for a chipped tooth. 

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How To Prevent a Chipped Tooth

Chipping, cracking, or breaking teeth is fairly common for children. In fact, many toddlers have a dental issues while they are learning to walk and run. At a young age, it is common for children to slip, trip or fall dozens of times every single day. Additionally, baby teeth are smaller and relatively more fragile than our adult teeth. So it is common for young children to chip a tooth. That being said you can help protect your children’s teeth by having them wear a mouthguard when playing sports like baseball, hockey, basketball, or soccer. A simple mouthguard can prevent a variety of oral injuries during athletic activities. 

What To Do When Your Child Chips a Tooth:

There are a few symptoms to be aware of after your child chips a tooth. 

  • Bleeding: If your child is bleeding from their mouth after chipping or breaking a tooth, you can use a piece of wet gauze or a clean cloth to apply pressure and stop the bleeding. 
  • Swelling: If your child’s face begins to swell, you can use a cold compress or an ice pack to decrease the swelling. 
  • Pain: If your child complains that they are feeling pain in their mouth, over-the-counter pain medication can help them deal with pain before they see a dentist. 
  • Difficulty Eating: After a dental injury your child should avoid chewing on hard or tough foods. Soups and other soft foods can prevent further stress on the broken tooth. 

When To Bring Your Child To A Dentist

If a chipped tooth is sensitive or painful, you should seek urgent dental treatment. Even if the chipped part of the tooth is small, pain in the mouth should never go untreated. A dentist can identify what part of the tooth was damaged and make recommendations for treatment. While it is true that primary teeth (baby teeth) are going to fall out eventually, a damaged tooth can cause other dental complications including infection. Seeing a dentist is often the best decision to make after a dental injury. 

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If you or a member in your family has a dental emergency don’t wait to see a dentist. We would be happy to see you at any of our offices in the Chicago area. Give us a call or use our online form to set up a meeting with our team of dentists.

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