Pediatric Emergency Dentistry – Fitchburg, MA
Urgent Dental Care for Your Child’s Hurting Smile
Is your child complaining of intense dental pain? Does it appear as if a tooth is chipped or broken? At Simply Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, our team is ready to help the moment an injury occurs! Not only can we provide necessary care to your child should the incident require immediate attention, but if the injury is capable of being treated at home, our team will guide you through the steps of caring for the problem while you wait to see us. We invite you to contact our office for additional questions about our emergency services.
Why Choose Us for Special Needs Dentistry?
- Children of All Ages Proudly Welcome
- Comprehensive Care Under One Roof
- Dental Insurance Accepted & Financing Options
How We Treat Pediatric Dental Emergencies
As soon as you’ve realized that your child’s smile is hurt, you shouldn’t delay in seeking care—and our team can help. You can follow these simple steps to get your child the treatment they need:
- Call Our Office ASAP – Dental emergencies do not resolve on their own, so call and let us know what happened as soon as you can. We’ll let you know when you need to bring your child in, and in the meantime, we’ll provide you with useful first-aid tips over the phone.
- Attend Your Child’s Appointment – We’re able to urgently treat a wide range of dental emergencies at our office, and our team has time built into their day for assisting with these situations. Bring your child in for their scheduled emergency appointment and we’ll take it from there.
- Get Your Child’s Smile Back on Track – We’ll quickly perform an emergency examination so that we’re able to accurately diagnose your child’s emergency, and from there, we can review treatment options and begin mending their smile. Rest assured, we will also prioritize pain relief. If any follow-up care is needed, we’ll also be sure to help you get that scheduled.
Orthodontic Emergencies
Should your child or teen be dealing with a poking wire, broken aligner, or intense pain related to their braces, make sure to contact our office right away. Our team will be able to examine the problem area and make the necessary adjustments to help your child’s treatment avoid delay and achieve relief from the pain or discomfort they’re experiencing.
The Most Common Pediatric Dental Emergencies
No matter the type of dental injury your child endures, the best course of action is to seek help sooner rather than later. Our Fitchburg office has the necessary instruments, equipment, and skillset to deliver compassionate, gentle, and effective treatment that will restore your child’s smile in its entirety. To give you a better understanding of how we can treat some of these situations, just browse through the icons below:
Understanding the Cost of Pediatric Dental Emergencies
Your child is unlike any other, which means the injury they experience will likely be different from that of another child their age. This is why you cannot pinpoint the cost of a dental emergency until a member of our team examines the problem area. Once we’ve looked at your child’s smile, we can recommend proper treatment options, which will shine a light on the overall cost.
Our team is happy to help you navigate your insurance policy as well as file any necessary paperwork or claims. We also work with MassHealth, and we can provide additional information about available financing through CareCredit.
Keys to Preventing Pediatric Dental Emergencies
If you want to help your little one avoid a dental injury or accident, make sure to heed the following advice:
- Make sure they are wearing proper mouth protection when playing sports or engaging in outdoor activities
- Avoid giving them snacks that are excessively hard or crunchy
- Never let your child use their teeth as tools to open packages or containers
- Make sure they follow a regular oral hygiene routine each morning and night (i.e., brushing, flossing, using fluoride toothpaste, etc.)
- Ensure they attend their regular dental checkups and cleanings every six months
Pediatric Emergency Dentistry FAQs
Should I Take My Child to the ER for a Dental Emergency?
Most ERs don’t have the necessary staff or equipment to effectively treat a dental emergency. Instead, they’ll do what they can to get your child out of pain and then instruct you to come see us right away. You’ll almost always save time, money, and hassle by bringing your child’s dental emergency to us first before heading to the emergency room! However, there are select situations that need to be stabilized by your local ER before we can repair your little one’s smile, such as:
- Dislocated or broken jaw
- Oral bleeding that hasn’t stopped after 10 minutes
- Swelling in the mouth, jaw or face that’s making it difficult to swallow or breathe
Will My Child’s Toothache Go Away on Its Own?
Remember, teeth don’t heal themselves, so it’s unlikely that your child’s toothache will go away on its own. If a painful tooth suddenly stops hurting out of the blue, the nerve may be infected or damaged. This needs to be treated right away! Thankfully, most toothaches are the result of cavities or other issues that aren’t quite as urgent, but should still be treated. If your child’s toothache is severe, lasts longer than a day, or is accompanied by swelling, discharge or fever, give us a call immediately.
Do Baby Teeth Ever Need Root Canal Therapy?
Treating tooth decay is just as important in baby teeth as it is in permanent ones. Leaving a cavity untreated can lead to serious, painful dental infections that cause early tooth loss, oral development complications, and problems in other parts of the mouth and body. To protect your little one’s health and prevent premature tooth loss, we may need to perform a root canal or pulp therapy treatment.
Can I Fix My Child’s Broken Braces or Aligners at Home?
Is your child dealing with a snapped braces wire or a bent Invisalign aligner? Even if the damage seems small, don’t try to fix broken orthodontics yourself! Doing so can easily make the problem worse. Additionally, you could potentially “fix” your child’s orthodontics incorrectly and cause their teeth to move in the wrong direction. Orthodontic emergencies in Fitchburg should only be handled by a highly trained orthodontist.
What’s the Safest Way to Manage Dental Pain?
When dealing with dental pain, never place Aspirin directly onto your child’s teeth or gums. To manage their pain, try:
- Flossing around the painful tooth
- Rinsing with warm saltwater
- Applying an ice pack or cold compress for 10-minute intervals
- Giving them cold foods and drinks
- Administering an over-the-counter pain reliever for children according to the directions