Dental injuries are a common concern among parents. While we want our children to enjoy being a kid, we also want to make sure they stay safe and free from harm. With that in mind, here are some tips on how to prevent dental injuries, as well as how to manage the ones that inevitably occur.

Prevention

There are a few simple things we can do to minimize the risk of unnecessary oral injuries, whether our kids are running around at home or off playing with their friends.

Safe Play Environments

• For babies and toddlers, make sure play areas are free from potential hazards (i.e. hard surfaces, sharp corners, small choking hazards, etc)

• Utilize baby gates, safety locks, and soft mats or padded covers when necessary

• Use a non-slip mat in the bathtub to avoid slipping on wet porcelain

• Check to ensure playgrounds are safe and equipment is in good condition

Protective Gear

• Make sure child safety seats and seat belts are installed/used correctly

• Ensure well-fitting helmets are worn when biking, skateboarding or roller skating.

• Mouth guards should be worn when playing sports (i.e. baseball, basketball, boxing, football, hockey, lacrosse, martial arts, soccer, softball, volleyball, wrestling, etc) to decrease risk of impact-related injuries to the lips, tongue, face, and jaw

• Teach children to avoid aiming any kind of projectiles (balls, frisbees, nerf guns, etc) at each other’s heads when playing

Hygiene Practices

Healthy teeth are better at resisting injuries, so maintaining healthy teeth and gums is essential to reducing injuries.

• Help establish good oral hygiene habits - brushing for two minutes twice a day and flossing once a day; parents should brush/floss for babies, toddlers and young children to ensure proper hygiene achieved

• Teach your child to avoid chewing on hard objects (i.e. ice, hard candy, pen caps) which can cause damage to their teeth

• Schedule regular dental check-ups so an potential issues can be caught early

Management

Unfortunately, accidents can still occur no matter how careful or diligent we are, so it’s a good idea to have a plan in place when the inevitable happens. Keep emergency numbers, including those for poison control, healthcare providers, and dentists, posted by the phone. Make sure you and your family's caregivers know how to handle emergency situations. The mouth is one of the most vascular areas of the body, so when a child falls on their face, it is bloody. But remember, it is blood mixed with spit, which tends to make the injury appear worse than it actually is.

Tongue or Lip Trauma

• Clean the area gently with water and apply a cold compress to minimize swelling and bleeding

• If bleeding doesn’t stop shortly or the bite is severe, contact your dentist

Broken/Chipped Tooth

• Retrieve any broken pieces, if possible, and rinse your child’s mouth with water

• Apply a cold compress to minimize welling and contact your dentist immediately

Knocked Out Tooth

If a permanent tooth is knocked out, contact your dentist immediately! The sooner you get to the dental office, the more likely the tooth can be replaced.

• Locate the missing tooth and handle it by the crown (the part you see when you smile), not the root

• If the tooth is clean, you can attempt to reinsert it into the socket

• If you are unable to reinsert it or the tooth is dirty, place the tooth in a container of cold milk until you can get to the office

LONG TERM MANAGEMENT AND CARE

After any dental injury, it is essential to follow up with your dentist so they can provide treatments to protect injured teeth from further harm and assess any long-term damage that may occur as a result of the initial injury.

Creating a safe environment and teaching proper precautions in and out of the home can greatly decrease the risk of dental injuries. While dental injuries can be frightening, you can mitigate their impact with proper safety measures and immediate care. We encourage parents to adopt precautions and educate themselves and their children on handling dental emergencies. By doing so, parents can play a vital role in safeguarding their child’s dental health.

There’s nothing better than a child’s healthy smile!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.