What to Do if Your Child Chips a Tooth

Oh no! Your child has chipped a tooth! While this can be a scary thing for a parent (if it’s your first time), it’s not a reason to panic. Dental emergencies, especially chipped teeth, are common with children. By understanding what to do in advance of a dental emergency, you as a parent can be better prepared when the inevitable happens.

While the point of this blog is to give you information before a dental emergency happens, you might be here because your child just had a dental accident. Here’s some important information before we continue:

What Should I Do if My Child Chips a Tooth? (Quick Guide)

If you are here on our blog because your child has literally just chipped or cracked a tooth, don’t panic. Here’s what you need to do right away:

• First, contact us immediately at Care Dental Center in Carson, California at (310) 626-0004 to get help and expert advice.
• Use clean water (bottled or filtered if possible, tap is OK) to rinse out your child’s mouth.
• Get a cold compress, ice pack, or bag of frozen food to apply to the affected area to reduce swelling. Be sure to wrap a dry towel or washcloth around an ice pack or frozen bag to make sure it’s not too cold for your child.
• Collect the tooth fragment if you can, rinse it off, put it in a plastic baggy, and bring it to your appointment with us if possible.

What Should I Do If My Child’s Tooth Gets Knocked Out Completely? (Quick Guide)

Important Note: The above instructions are not for a tooth that has been completely knocked out. In case you are looking for those instructions (even though this blog post is about chipped teeth):

• If the tooth has been knocked out completely, it can potentially be saved, but only if you go to a medical facility within an hour. Call us now at (310) 626-0004. If we are not available, then go to your nearest emergency room.
• A knocked-out tooth should be rinsed in clean water. Keep the pulp and remaining tissue on it (don’t clean it off!)
• If the tooth cannot be reinserted easily or safely into the socket, put it into some milk and bring it with you to the dentist or emergency room.

Why Do Children Chip Their Teeth?

Children, especially toddlers, can often chew things they aren’t supposed to be chewing. They like to chew on toys, or pencils, or snack on hard candy. Sports such as soccer and baseball can result in chipped teeth when a wayward ball goes flying and hits a child in the face. These types of usually minor accidents can be scary but typically can be handled fairly easily. The key for you, as a parent, is to not panic.

How Do I Stay Calm When My Child Has Chipped a Tooth?

If you are a seasoned parent with a few dental emergencies under your belt already, you probably don’t need to read this section. But if you aren’t used to your child going through a potentially painful and somewhat scary experience like a chipped tooth, it’s important to keep your cool. You are there to not only help the child physically but emotionally. By staying calm, you help the child feel better and not overreact to their “ouchie.”

Just reading this blog post about what to do when your child chips a tooth will help you be calm. You now have your emergency instructions (at the top), which you can print out and keep handy.

It’s also a good idea to keep the contact information for Care Dental Center in Carson, California available, especially our phone number: (310) 626-0004. Keep it on your fridge and also have our number in your smart phone contact list.

Also understand that your child’s tooth can easily be repaired, which we will cover next.

Why Is It Important to See a Dentist Soon After a Child Chips a Tooth?

A chipped tooth may simply be a cosmetic problem, or it could be deep enough to expose the tooth root. Chipped teeth can potentially also affect chewing and speaking. At Care Dental Center in Carson, California, we want to examine your child’s chipped tooth to determine the extent of it and if there is any possibility of infection. We also want to prevent further damage to the tooth.

The good news is that chipped teeth are very easy to repair and fix.

How Can My Child’s Chipped Tooth Be Repaired?

We have many affordable options for repairing your child’s chipped tooth. In some cases, if the damage is minor and the tooth is a baby tooth that’s about to be lost soon anyway, we may choose not to repair it. Some of the options for tooth repair include fillings, dental bonding, veneers, and inlays or onlays.

What Is a Dental Filling?

For a small chip, particularly one in the center of the tooth, we might use a composite resin to fill in the chip. It is safe and non-toxic.

What Is Dental Bonding?

Dental bonding is one of the most common and quickest ways to fix a chipped tooth. Using the same type of composite resin used in a filling, which is matched to the tooth color, we can mold and shape the resin to fix the missing or cracked portion of the tooth.

What Are Dental Inlays or Onlays?

We would probably only use dental inlays or onlays for permanent teeth, thus, this would be a solution more for teenagers. Inlays and onlays are custom-molded like crowns and made out of porcelain. Only, they do not require as much tooth removal as crowns as they cover only the necessary portion of the tooth. They can fix cracked teeth and may last for 30 years.

What Is a Dental Crown?

A dental crown is a cap that covers most of the tooth. It looks and functions like your natural teeth.

What Are Porcelain Veneers?

For teens and kids with permanent teeth, porcelain veneers are custom tooth coverings laid over the front of the teeth that can restore large chips. They are more expensive but can give your kid a movie star smile.

Does Your Child Have a Chipped Tooth in Carson, California?

Care Dental Center in Carson, California has extensive experience restoring teeth for children who chipped a tooth. We are caring and friendly and will make your child feel at home. Let us know if you have any questions about our tooth restoration options.

Has your child chipped, cracked, or broken one of their teeth? Contact us at Care Dental Center in Carson, California right away at (310) 626-0004 to get help. We are available for all types of dental emergencies, especially those that affect your little ones.