If your child is currently a patient of Dr. Christy, you can either call the office or, if after normal office hours, her cell phone at (618) 791-2794. Dr. Christy will return your call as soon as possible.

If it’s an adult or permanent tooth, keep the tooth moist. Here are some ways to do that:

1.  The best thing to do is put the tooth back in the socket. Do not rinse the tooth!  (However, if there is heavy debris you may gently remove any dirt/debris with a quick rinse of water).  This may not be very comfortable for the child, but getting the tooth immediately back in the socket provides the best long-term prognosis for that tooth.

2. Place the tooth in milk.

3. Keep the tooth in a Save-A-Tooth kit until you see Dr. Christy.

 

If it’s a baby tooth, do NOT try and re-implant the tooth. Re-implanting a baby tooth may damage the underlying developing permanent tooth. Here’s what to do until you see Dr. Christy:

1. Have the child bite on some sterile gauze or a washcloth to help stop the bleeding. The mouth tends to bleed a lot, so keeping pressure on the area is important. Always remember that a little bit of blood mixed with saliva will make things look a lot worse than it is. Bleeding should stop or significantly slow down within 5-10 minutes.

2. Give the child some over the counter pain medication, such as Children’s Motrin, as directed for your child’s weight.

 

Toothache or Pain

If a tooth is causing spontaneous or waking pain, you should call the office immediately for an emergency appointment. Children’s Motrin or Ibuprofen is typically the best medicine for a toothache. However, attempting to reduce pain by medication should be a very temporary fix. Dr. Christy will need to complete a limited exam to determine the appropriate treatment to solve the problem.