As a parent you want your children to be healthy, happy, and pain free. When they are in distress so are you. What do you do when you child complains of toothache? Is there anything you can do to relieve their pain? It is easy to feel helpless when your child looks to you for a solution and you don’t have one. Don’t let that happen to you. When your child says “Mom, Dad, my tooth hurts!” know what steps to take.
Knowing the cause of your child’s toothache can help you treat it, but sometimes the cause will elude you. In fact, in very young children they may not have a toothache at all. It may be that they burnt their mouth on something, or that they bit their cheek. To begin assessing the situation, look inside their mouth to see what they are referring to. If it is any of the following, there are steps you can take to treat the pain until you can visit your dentist:
Cavity: Cavities often don’t cause pain until they are large. To treat cavity pain give your child children’s Tylenol. Do not give your child aspirin as it can cause Reye’s syndrome, a rare but serious illness.
An erupting tooth: Use children’s Tylenol to help relieve the pain.
Food debris: Floss the area to make sure there is no food debris stuck between the tooth and gum.
Cracked enamel: Having them rinse with a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water can help relieve pain due to a crack in the tooth enamel.
Other steps to take include applying an ice pack to the area and encouraging them to avoid eating salty, and particularly hot or cold food.
Dr. Quinn Smith is a well-respected and highly experienced general, restorative, and family dentist in Grand Prairie, TX. He takes a patient-first approach that starts from the moment patients enter our Pecan Tree Dental office, and he offers three-year guarantee on all dental work that he performs. Whether you and your family are new or returning patients, you can schedule a consultation or your next appointment with Dr. Smith by contacting us at (972) 262-5111.
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