Pediatric Dental Emergency Care in Newton, MA
When your child hurts a tooth or wakes up with a toothache, figuring out what to do next can feel overwhelming.
Tell us what happened and we’ll help you determine the next step.
If it’s after hours, call the same number and follow the prompts to reach the on-call doctor.
Is This a Dental Emergency?
If you’re wondering whether you should call, call.
Some dental problems need immediate treatment. Others look scary but can safely be evaluated without a trip to the emergency room.
Common pediatric dental emergencies include:
- A severe or persistent toothache
- A knocked-out tooth
- A broken, cracked or chipped tooth
- A tooth that has been pushed out of position
- Facial or gum swelling
- An injury to the teeth, lips, gums or mouth
- Bleeding that is difficult to stop
- A loose tooth caused by an injury
- A broken dental crown or filling causing pain
- A broken orthodontic appliance that is causing injury or significant discomfort
Our team can help you determine how urgently your child needs to be seen.
When Should I Go to the Emergency Room?
Most dental problems are best evaluated by a dentist.
Some injuries and infections need medical emergency care first.
Call 911 or seek emergency medical care if your child has:
- Trouble breathing or swallowing
- A serious head or facial injury
- Loss of consciousness or concerning neurologic symptoms after an injury
- Uncontrolled or significant bleeding
- A suspected broken jaw
- Rapidly increasing facial swelling, particularly when accompanied by fever or illness
If you’re unsure, call Bubble and we’ll help guide you.
What Should I Do If My Child Knocks Out a Tooth?
First, determine whether it is a baby tooth or a permanent tooth. What you do next is very different.
Knocked-Out Baby Tooth
Do not put a baby tooth back into the socket.
Replanting a baby tooth can damage the permanent tooth developing underneath it.
Instead:
- Find the tooth if you can
- Apply gentle pressure with clean gauze if there is bleeding
- Use a cold compress on the outside of the mouth for swelling
- Call Bubble so we can evaluate the injury
Even though baby teeth eventually fall out naturally, losing one because of trauma should still be evaluated.
Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth
This is a true dental emergency. Time matters.
If your child’s permanent tooth has been completely knocked out:
- Find the tooth.
- Pick it up by the crown, the white part you normally see, never by the root.
- Do not scrub or scrape the tooth.
- If it is dirty, gently rinse it with milk or saline.
- If you are comfortable doing so, the tooth may be gently placed back into its socket.
- If you cannot reinsert it, keep the tooth moist in cold milk.
- Call Bubble immediately at 617-655-9410 and head to the office as directed.
The sooner a knocked-out permanent tooth receives appropriate care, the better the opportunity to save it.
What If My Child Chips or Breaks a Tooth?
Don’t panic. Chipped teeth are common, particularly in active kids.
Have your child gently rinse with water and look for any pieces of the tooth.
If you find a fragment, bring it with you. A cold compress on the outside of the mouth can help reduce swelling.
Then call Bubble.
Even a small chip can sometimes expose a deeper layer of the tooth, so it is better to let us determine whether your child needs to be seen.
What Should I Do for a Toothache?
A toothache is your child’s way of telling us something isn’t right.
It could be caused by a cavity, food caught between the teeth, an irritated or infected tooth, trauma or another dental problem.
Start by:
- Having your child gently rinse with water
- Flossing carefully if something appears to be trapped between the teeth
- Using a cold compress on the outside of the face if there is swelling
- Calling Bubble if the pain persists, wakes your child, becomes severe or is accompanied by swelling
Age-appropriate over-the-counter pain medication may be used according to the product directions or your child’s medical provider.
Do not place aspirin or medication directly against the tooth or gums.
A toothache that keeps coming back shouldn’t be ignored even if the pain temporarily goes away.
What If My Child’s Face or Gums Are Swollen?
Facial or gum swelling can be a sign of a dental infection and should be taken seriously.
Call Bubble promptly if your child develops swelling around a tooth, gum or cheek.
If the swelling is rapidly increasing or your child also has a fever, looks seriously ill, or is having difficulty breathing or swallowing, seek emergency medical care.
Dental infections usually don’t resolve simply because the pain improves. The underlying cause still needs to be evaluated.
What If a Tooth Is Loose After an Injury?
A naturally loose baby tooth is one thing.
A tooth that suddenly becomes loose because your child fell, collided with someone or was struck in the mouth is different.
Don’t wiggle it or try to straighten it yourself.
Have your child avoid biting on the injured tooth and call Bubble. We may need to evaluate the tooth, surrounding bone and developing permanent teeth.
What About a Cut Lip, Tongue or Cheek?
Mouth injuries can bleed quite a bit, which can make them look worse than they are.
Gently clean the area with water and apply firm pressure with clean gauze or a clean cloth.
A cold compress on the outside of the mouth can help with swelling.
If the bleeding doesn’t stop with pressure, the cut is deep or gaping, or your child has another significant facial injury, seek medical care.
Otherwise, call Bubble and we’ll help determine whether the teeth or surrounding structures also need to be examined.
Something Stuck Between Your Child’s Teeth?
Try gently removing it with dental floss.
Never use a needle, pin, knife or other sharp object.
If you can’t remove it easily or your child is in pain, give us a call.
Orthodontic Emergencies
Because Bubble provides pediatric dentistry and orthodontics in the same practice, we can also help when something unexpected happens with braces or another orthodontic appliance.
Call us for:
- A broken bracket
- A loose band
- A wire that is poking or irritating the cheek
- A broken or damaged appliance
- An injury involving braces
- Significant orthodontic pain that doesn’t seem normal
Not every broken bracket requires an immediate office visit, but we’ll tell you what to do and when your child should be seen.
Sports Injuries and Dental Trauma
Basketball. Hockey. Soccer. Baseball. Bikes. Scooters.
Kids are kids, and sometimes teeth end up in the line of fire.
If your child suffers a blow to the mouth during sports or play even if a tooth hasn’t fallen out, call us if the tooth is painful, loose, displaced, fractured or has changed position.
And if your child participates in activities where dental injuries are more likely, ask us about a properly fitted sports mouthguard.
Pediatric Emergency Care at Bubble
A dental emergency can be scary for a child.
How we handle that moment matters.
Our first priority is making sure your child is safe and comfortable. Then we’ll determine what happened, explain what we’re seeing and talk you through what needs to happen next.
No drama. No unnecessary fear.
Just clear answers and the pediatric dental care your child needs.
That’s especially important after an injury, when children and parents may already be anxious before they ever walk through our door.
Pediatric Dentistry + Orthodontics Under One Roof
Dental injuries aren’t always limited to one tooth.
They can involve neighboring teeth, developing permanent teeth, the bite or an orthodontic appliance.
At Bubble, our pediatric dental and orthodontic teams can coordinate care when needed instead of treating each part of your child’s smile separately.
It’s one more reason we built Bubble differently.
Frequently Asked Questions About Children’s Dental Emergencies
For most toothaches, chipped teeth, knocked-out teeth and dental injuries, call your dentist first. Serious head or facial injuries, uncontrolled bleeding, difficulty breathing or swallowing, a suspected broken jaw, or other medical emergencies require emergency medical care.
It can be. Severe pain, pain that wakes your child, facial swelling, fever or persistent pain should be evaluated promptly. When in doubt, call us.
Yes. A knocked-out permanent tooth requires immediate attention. Call Bubble at 617-655-9410 as soon as the injury occurs.
No. A knocked-out baby tooth should not be replanted because doing so can damage the developing permanent tooth underneath.
If you cannot place a permanent tooth back into its socket, keep it moist in cold milk and seek dental care immediately. Handle the tooth only by the crown, not the root.
We recommend calling us. The amount of damage isn’t always obvious from looking at the tooth, particularly after an injury.
Yes. Call us for a broken bracket, loose appliance, poking wire or an injury involving braces. We’ll determine whether your child needs to be seen immediately or give you instructions until the next visit.
Have a Dental Emergency? Call Bubble.
You don’t have to figure it out by yourself.
If your child has a toothache, dental injury, swelling, broken tooth, or another dental problem that can’t wait, contact Bubble Children’s Dentistry & Orthodontics at 617-655-9410.
We’ll help you determine what to do next.
Bubble Children’s Dentistry & Orthodontics
792 Beacon Street
Newton Centre, MA 02459
