Baby teeth serve several important functions including, acting as spacers creating enough room in the jaw so that permanent teeth can come in, aiding in proper speech development, and serving to help build self-esteem in the newly independent child. Make sure that your dentist has after hours coverage meaning that he or a partner is available to take care of dental emergencies. Keep your dentist's emergency number readily available. In our dental practice, the most common dental emergencies we encounter are teeth which have been knocked due to trauma and teeth which have been chipped as a result of an accident. In either case, it is important to know what to do.
Time is the enemy when a tooth is knocked out.
If a dentist is seen within one hour after an accident, chances are good that the tooth can be re-implanted and saved. With chipped teeth the situation is slightly more complicated. If the your child is experiencing pain or sensitivity in the remaining tooth, see a dentist immediately as this indicates the tooth nerve may have been injured. The dentist can perform a root canal or other necessary procedures to save the tooth. Afterwards, a porcelain crown or bonding material can be sculpted onto the tooth to replace the lost portion.