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Pelham, NH 03076 (603) 635-1166
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Pediatric Emergency Dentist — Pelham, NH

Keeping Pelham Children’s Smiles Safe

little girl in pain after eating ice cream

Despite your best efforts to protect your children from harm, dental emergencies can happen for a variety of reasons that are often outside of a parent’s control – maybe your daughter fell and banged a tooth on the sidewalk while playing with friends, or your son bit down too hard on a popcorn kernel by mistake. Whatever the case, one thing is certain: the team at Simply Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics is devoted to keeping Pelham children’s smiles safe. Please don’t hesitate to contact our team for assistance. We attend to emergency cases as soon as possible!

Why Choose Simply Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics for Emergency Dental Care?

  • Experienced & Highly-Trained Dental Professionals
  • Same-Day Emergency Appointments Available
  • First-Aid Guidance Over The Phone If Needed

What to Do in a Dental Emergency

father on phone by daughter in pain

Stay calm. It’s important to show your child that you’re in control of the situation and you will take care of them. From there, follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Call Us Right Away! Be sure to call our dental office ASAP so we can give you step-by-step instructions on how to handle the situation. We’ll also likely schedule a same-day appointment to see your little one right away.
  • Step 2:Head to Our Office for an Emergency Exam. When you arrive, one of our dental professionals will help your child ASAP. They’ll focus first on addressing any discomfort and then work quickly to evaluate the situation.
  • Step 3:Receive a Custom Treatment Plan. Next, they’ll fully explain their findings and how they recommend treating the situation. Once you’ve reviewed all options, including the estimated prices and treatment durations, we will help create a customized plan.
  • Step 4:Get the Prompt, Gentle Care Your Child Needs. Our experienced team offers a wide variety of treatments in-house, so we’ll start working right away to protect your child’s oral health and get them back on track to a happy, healthy smile.

If your son or daughter is experiencing heavy, sustained bleeding or their jaw is possibly broken, please go straight to an emergency room in your area for immediate help.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

First, we trust you and your child’s judgment in these situations. If they’re in pain and upset, we want to see them and provide relief. Any situation that involves damaged, knocked-out or very painful teeth should be treated with the utmost urgency! However, if you’re still unsure whether their issue qualifies as an urgent dental problem, here are some of the most common situations that our dentists would classify as “emergencies”:

Understanding the Cost of Pediatric Emergency Dentistry

Mom and son talking to smiling dental receptionist about cost

It’s very common for parents to be concerned about the cost of their child’s dental care. Rest assured, our Pelham pediatric dental team is here to make navigating the financial side of their treatment as stress-free as possible. Not only will we do our best to provide accurate estimates of the price, but we will also review all of the financial solutions available and answer any questions you have along the way. You can also learn more important information about the cost of pediatric emergency dentistry right here!

Every Dental Emergency is Different

Pediatric emergency dentist examining child's teeth

Parents bring their children to our Pelham emergency dentist for numerous reasons, from persistent toothaches to completely knocked-out teeth. That’s why there isn’t a flat fee! Before providing you with a number, we need to assess the source and extent of the problem. We also need to pinpoint what the best restorative treatment (or combination of treatments) is so that we can effectively and efficiently restore their healthy, functional, and beautiful smiles.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?

Dental insurance paperwork on desk with X-ray and glasses

If your dental plan includes benefits for your child, then we encourage you to bring your insurance information with you to their appointment. Since dental plans aren’t the same from patient to patient, this allows us to better understand your coverage and how it pertains to the care your child needs. The good news is that many providers cover a portion of the cost of essential restorative treatments, which can help reduce your out-of-pocket expenses.

Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable

Dental assistant smiling while handing patient form

The good news is that dental insurance isn’t the only financial solution available to your family. At Simply Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, we also:

  • Partner with the Well Sense Health Plan
  • Accept MassHealth
  • Welcome Flexible Financing with Lending Point
  • Offer Periodic Specials

If you are interested in learning more about any of these options, then we recommend giving our team a call. From there, we can review the details, answer your questions, and help you take the next step!

Taking Care Of Your Child’s Smile Can Save You Money

Mom smiling at her daughter while brushing her teeth

Remember, the large majority of dental emergencies – from knocked-out teeth and loose restorations to painful toothaches – are preventable with the right best practices in place. As a result, proactive measures like having your child wear a mouthguard during sports, brush their teeth for two full minutes each morning and evening, and get a dental checkup and cleaning biannually can help protect their smile and your wallet! If you ever have a question about their oral hygiene routine, including what products they should be using, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team so we can help.

Keys to Preventing Pediatric Dental Emergencies

mother with son at dental checkup

Unfortunately, dental emergencies aren’t 100 percent preventable. There are, however, a few ways you can minimize your family’s risk of experiencing common dental injuries, like decayed, cracked, and knocked-out teeth. So, read on!

Schedule a Dental Checkup and Cleaning Every Six Months

Dentist examining smiling child's teeth

Even if your child consistently brushes and flosses their teeth at home, they need to come to our Pelham dental office twice a year for a dental checkup and cleaning. These routine visits allow us to inspect their smile regularly, detecting small dental problems before they’re able to grow into serious ones in the process. Furthermore, we remove plaque, tartar, and other debris that have been missed, reducing their risk of tooth decay in the future.

Maintain Good Oral Hygiene At Home

Smiling child brushing teeth in bathroom

Whether your child’s first tooth is about to break through the gumline, or their wisdom teeth are about to make an appearance, it’s important that they commit to a solid oral hygiene regimen. That starts with using a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste to brush twice a day and extends to flossing and rinsing with an antimicrobial mouthwash (once they are old enough to benefit from it). If you’re ever unsure which products to use or how to prevent cavities at home, don’t hesitate to ask!

Keep Foods and Drinks with Added Sugar to a Minimum

Closeup of child eating lunch at school

Does your child love all things sugar? While everything is fine in moderation, it’s important to remember that this sweetener is one of the leading causes of cavities. As a result, the more added sugar they consume, the more likely it is that they will wind up with a decayed tooth. To prevent that from happening, do your best to limit their exposure to foods that aren’t smile-friendly, including overly tough, chewy, and sticky ones.

Make Sure Your Child Wears a Mouthguard During Sports

Closeup of child holding baseball and baseball bat

All it takes is one rogue ball or one bad fall for your child’s morning on the field to turn into an afternoon at our office. The easiest way to avoid that is by making sure your child wears a mouthguard when participating in sporting events.

Note: Your child should also wear a mouthguard during non-contact sports, like skateboarding and rollerblading, or if they grind/clench their teeth at night.

Don’t Let Your Child Use Their Teeth to Open Packaging

Child smiling while opening present

When your child is particularly excited about opening something, they might be tempted to tear it open with their teeth. Although effective, this can quickly result in a serious (and painful) dental injury, which we want to avoid. That’s why we recommend showing them how to use the scissors safely instead.

Note: Using their teeth as tools is just one of many bad habits your child may adopt over the years. Make sure that they also avoid chewing on ice cubes, biting their nails, or putting the back of their pencil in their mouth.

Dental Emergency FAQs

illustration for dental emergency

Reading through the above information can give you valuable insight into the types of dental emergencies we are ready to help your child address. However, to be as prepared as possible, you may still have some questions on your mind. Well, we want to help! Keep reading for the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions from parents regarding a pediatric dental emergency in Pelham.

Will My Child’s Toothache Go Away on Its Own?

Despite popular belief, toothaches do not heal on their own. In fact, a once painful toothache that has “disappeared” may actually be an indicator the infection has damaged the nerve of the tooth! Therefore, it’s always a good idea to schedule an appointment with your child’s dentist right away. From there, they can determine the root of the problem and put a plan in place to restore the look and function of your little one’s smile.

Should My Child Visit the Emergency Room First for Dental Emergencies?

If a dental emergency has resulted in a potentially life-threatening condition, like difficulty breathing or a broken jaw, then you should take your child to a local emergency room first. However, ERs typically don’t have dentists on staff, meaning they won’t be able to address dental emergencies effectively. Therefore, with all other smile-related injuries (lost filling, knocked-out tooth, etc.), your first call should be to a pediatric emergency dentist in Pelham.

My Child’s Chipped Tooth Doesn’t Hurt. Do They Still Need a Dental Visit?

Even if their chipped tooth doesn’t hurt, it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment with their dentist. Although they may not be in any pain, the inner layers of their tooth could be vulnerable to damage. Plus, a chipped tooth may break further without professional attention, resulting in sensitivity, soreness and overall discomfort. With that being said, your child can most likely afford to wait a day or two until their appointment if needed. Just make sure they don’t put off seeing their dentist for too long.

What Should I Keep in My Child’s Emergency Dental Kit?

From a lost filling to a knocked-out tooth, dental injuries can be anxiety-inducing. To make the entire experience as stress-free as possible, preparation is paramount. You should keep an emergency dental kit for your child, and everyone in the family, accessible with these essentials:

  • A storage container large enough to fit a tooth or restorations
  • Sterile gloves
  • Gauze pads
  • Cotton balls
  • Dental cement (or other temporary filling material)
  • Denture adhesive
  • Petroleum jelly
  • Anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen
  • Orajel
  • Floss
  • An ice pack or cold compress
  • Contact information for a pediatric emergency dentist
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Toothache

Is My Child's Toothache a Dental Emergency? When your child brings their toothache to your attention, it’s important to ask a few follow-up questions. Do they experience pain when biting down? How long has that tooth been bothering them? Is the problematic tooth discolored? This will help you get a better understanding of their symptoms and determine if a same-day appointment at our Pelham dental office is necessary.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Toothache Naturally, you want to keep your child as comfortable as possible until we have the opportunity to treat the root of the problem. To help minimize any pain they are experiencing, encourage them not to chew on that side of their mouth and steer clear of acidic, sugary, and spicy foods. If they need to sleep, prop their head up with a few pillows to prevent blood from rushing to their head. You can also provide them with a children’s pain reliever if all else fails.

How We Treat Toothaches in Children Once your child arrives at our office, we will take a few X-rays and conduct an oral exam to determine the cause of their toothache. Oftentimes, it’s a cavity. In that case, we will remove the damaged tissue and restore the missing structure with a tooth-colored filling. If the decay is more significant, then a root canal or dental crown may be the best solution. As always, we will review all of the available treatment options beforehand.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH-COLORED FILLINGS

Cracked Tooth

Is My Child's Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? Cracked teeth are considered a dental emergency. Even if it’s small, their tooth is now vulnerable to further damage and may develop an infection. So, give our kid's emergency dentist in Pelham a call right away.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Cracked Tooth One of your top priorities should be preventing an infection. So, have your child periodically rinse with clean, room-temperature water to remove bacteria from around the tooth. Next, use some dental wax or a piece of sugar-free gum to cover the cracked tooth.  This will help prevent sensitivity. Last, but certainly not least, remind your child not to chew on that side of their mouth until their tooth has been treated.

How We Treat Children's Cracked Teeth After we assess the severity of the crack, we can review the available treatment options, from tooth-colored fillings to dental crowns. If this dental emergency was the result of a sports accident, then we may also recommend a custom sportsguard, which will protect your child’s teeth and gums from injury moving forward.

  LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH-COLORED FILLINGS

  LEARN MORE ABOUT SPORTSGUARDS

Chipped Tooth

Is My Child's Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? A chipped tooth can be alarming, but it doesn’t always require same-day treatment. If your child isn’t in any discomfort, then carefully monitor their symptoms and schedule an appointment with our team within a day or two of the incident. If, on the other hand, your child is in pain, then a chipped tooth warrants a call to our office.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Chipped Tooth First, have your child gently rinse their mouth with water to remove any lingering pieces of their tooth. If the chip has created a sharp edge of their tooth, then cover it with a piece of dental wax or sugarless gum to prevent a soft tissue injury. As always, remind your child not to chew on that side of their mouth – this can result in the tooth splitting further!

How We Treat Children's Chipped Teeth From cosmetic dental bonding to dental crowns, there are a variety of services that can restore the missing structure of your child’s tooth. After assessing the severity of the chip and making sure none of the surrounding teeth were damaged, we will share our recommendations, answer any questions you have, and restore your child’s smile.

Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth

Is A Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? A knocked-out permanent tooth is arguably one of the most serious dental injuries because we need to see your child for treatment within 60 minutes in order to have the highest chance of saving their tooth. That’s why we recommend contacting our Pelham pediatric emergency dentist ASAP!

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth Naturally, this dental injury (or any dental injury for that matter) can cause some anxiety. Encourage your child to take a few deep breaths while you contact us to schedule an appointment. Then, do your best to find the tooth and, if you are able to locate it, preserve the root by placing it in a small, clean container of milk.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Permanent Teeth Thankfully, we can often save knocked-out teeth. If we can’t for any reason, like you weren’t able to locate the tooth in the midst of handling this dental injury, that’s okay. In that case, we will review the other treatment options, like a space maintainer or dental bridge.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SPORTS MOUTHGUARDS

Knocked-Out Baby Tooth

Is a Knocked-Out Baby Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, particularly if the baby tooth was knocked-out prematurely or your child’s surrounding teeth and gums were also injured in the process. As always, if you aren’t sure, it’s good to err on the side of caution and call our Pelham pediatric dental team.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Baby Tooth In short, handling a knocked-out baby tooth is very different than handling a knocked-out adult tooth. With a baby tooth, preserving the tooth isn’t a concern, so you can simply bring it to your child’s appointment. We also don’t recommend putting the tooth back in its socket because your child can accidentally swallow it and the underlying tooth has the potential to get damaged in the process.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Baby Teeth There are genuinely some cases where nothing needs to be done, like if the underlying tooth isn’t damaged and will take the place of the baby tooth within a few weeks or months. Also, we may recommend having a custom mouthguard made to protect your child’s smile from harm, particularly while playing sports.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SPORTS MOUTHGUARDS

Bitten Tongue, Lip, Cheek

Is a Bitten Tongue, Lip, or Cheek an Emergency? Soft tissue injuries often scare children and alarm their parents because even a small cut can result in significant bleeding. Don’t worry – there is some good news: these situations can usually be handled at home and don’t require a same-day visit to our office for treatment.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Soft Tissue Injury To get a better idea of where the cut is and how large it is, have your child rinse their mouth thoroughly with clean, cool water. Then, dampen a clean washcloth and use it to apply pressure to the area. Within a few minutes, the bleeding should stop.

How We Treat Soft Tissue Injuries in Children Typically, soft tissue injuries can be handled at home. If, however, the cut continues to bleed after 10 minutes of applying pressure, then you should take your child to the ER for medical attention.

Dental Concussion

Is My Child's Dental Concussion an Emergency? Absolutely! After all, the longer you wait to bring them in for treatment, the higher the chance is that your child’s tooth will completely fall out. The best thing to do in this situation is call our Pelham dental team ASAP and explain what happened.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Dental Concussion It goes without saying that your child shouldn’t wiggle their tooth or chew on that side of their mouth. Instead, have them periodically rinse their mouth with clean, room-temperature water and give them an OTC pain reliever for children (if needed).

How We Treat Dental Concussions in Children Sometimes, a tooth that is slightly shoved out of place can heal with a little support. Other times, orthodontic treatment is needed, or the tooth needs to be removed. The treatment we recommend will depend entirely on your child’s unique dental needs.

Sensitive Teeth

Are My Child's Sensitive Teeth an Emergency? Dental sensitivity is definitely something you should monitor. If it’s persistent for over 24 hours, your child’s discomfort seems to be getting worse, or they are experiencing other abnormal dental symptoms as well (like pain when biting down), call us right away.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Sensitive Teeth Until their appointment at our Pelham dental office, the only thing you can do is try to avoid exacerbating their discomfort. We recommend having them drink room-temperature water and avoiding sugary, crunchy, and acidic foods entirely.

How We Treat Sensitive Teeth in Children Oftentimes, dental sensitivity is due to an untreated cavity. If that’s the case for your child, then we will remove the damaged tissue before restoring the look, health, and function of their tooth with a dental filling or crown.

Lost Filling or Crown

Is My Child's Lost Filling or Crown an Emergency? Yes! Remember, even if your child isn’t in pain, their tooth could break or develop an infection without the restoration securely in place. So, don’t wait – schedule a time for them to come in for an exam immediately.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Lost Filling or Crown We mentioned above that calling us is a top priority, but what else should you do? We recommend having your child stick to soft foods, rinse their mouth periodically with clean water, and, if needed, take an OTC pain reliever for kids as directed.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns in Children When your child arrives at our office, we will examine their tooth and determine if their restoration can be cemented back in place or if we need to replace it entirely.

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

Is Having Something Stuck Between My Child's Teeth an Emergency? Fortunately, this situation can usually be handled at home. If the recommendations in the next section don’t work, then give us a call so we can provide further instructions or schedule a time for them to come into our office.

How You Should Handle Something Stuck Between Your Child's Teeth Parents often think they should reach for something sharp, like tweezers. Don’t! Instead, have your child rinse their mouth with warm saltwater before using floss to gently clean between their teeth.