Alexandria Pediatric
Emergency Dentist

Know the Signs

What Counts As A dental Emergency?

The most obvious dental emergencies are oral injuries. If your child has an issue like a cracked or chipped tooth, a loose or missing (avulsed) tooth, or an intruded tooth (a tooth that has been driven back into the socket), come to Kingstowne Dental Specialists right away for immediate care.

However, there are other issues that also qualify as a dental emergency even though they may not be as visible or painful as an oral injury:

• If your child loses a filling or crown
• A toothache that won’t go away

As a rule, a dental emergency is any issue that is causing serious pain, discomfort or bleeding, that you cannot treat on your own. If your child’s condition fits these two criteria, schedule a same-day appointment at Kingstowne Dental Specialists right away.

Knocked-Out Tooth?

What To Do In A dental Emergency

If your child has lost a permanent tooth, try to recover it, if possible. Rinse it with warm water, then replace it in the socket or put it in a small container of cold milk. Contact Kingstowne Dental Specialists right away and we will work to schedule a same-day appointment, and come in as soon as you can. You can treat bleeding with clean gauze or cotton balls, and your child should stop bleeding within 1-2 hours of their injury. To help relieve pain and inflammation, you can give them children’s Tylenol (acetaminophen). Ice packs can also be used to help treat pain and swelling, but should only be applied externally to the cheeks. After treating any bleeding and pain, come to our office to get the professional dental care your child needs to get out of pain.

Flexible Emergency Dentistry

Same-Day dental Appointments

We always strive to have emergency appointments available for our patients. If your child needs emergency dental care, give us a call at (703) 493-0622, our office is convientely located at 5911 Kingstowne Village Parkway, #150, Alexandria, VA 22315. We will do our best to see your child as soon as possible and provide them with the care they need to get relief from the discomfort of a dental emergency.

How To Deal With

A Severe Or Chronic Toothache

If your child has a toothache that lasts more than 1-2 days and is very severe, it’s likely that they have an infected tooth. Infected teeth happen when the outer layers of the tooth are destroyed by tooth decay or dental trauma, exposing the dental pulp. This pulp is full of blood vessels and nerves, and keeps your child’s tooth alive. As it becomes infected, your child will experience a lot of tooth pain and discomfort.
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A severe or chronic toothache is a very serious dental emergency. Your child will need to get help from Dr. Courtney Marzban at Kingstowne Dental Specialists right away. Without the proper treatment to remove the infected pulp, such as a pulpotomy or a root canal, your child’s tooth will continue to deteriorate. Eventually, the tooth will die.

So if your little one has been complaining about a sore tooth, don’t take any chances. Give us a call at (703) 493-0622 and tell us about their situation, and we’ll schedule a same-day appointment for your child. Dr. Courtney can examine their mouth, determine the source of the issue, and provide them with relief from the pain and discomfort of their toothache.

What To Do

If Your Child Loses Dental Work

If your child has one or more fillings or dental crowns, it’s possible that their crown or filling may fall out or be pulled out. This could happen due to dental trauma, but more commonly, the dental work simply wears out and loosens. Then, if your child eats sticky food like taffy, or bites into a food like an apple, their dental work may be pulled out.

This is a serious dental emergency. Below your child’s dental work is vulnerable enamel that is not meant to be exposed to oral bacteria. If you don’t get their dental work reattached right away, your child’s tooth may experience further decay, which could lead to a tooth infection.

If possible, recover your child’s dental work and put it into a small plastic bag so that you can bring it in with you. Then, give Kingstowne Dental Specialists a call at (703) 493-0622 and we will work hard to schedule a same-day appointment. We’ll see your little one as soon as we can, and reattach or replace their dental work to protect their smile.

Treatment Options For

Premature Baby Tooth Loss

If your child loses a baby tooth too early, this may not seem like a big deal, since baby teeth must fall out to make room for adult teeth. But this is actually a serious dental emergency. If your child experiences dental trauma that knocks out one of their baby teeth, they should see the team at Kingstowne Dental Specialists right away. 
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Why is losing a baby tooth prematurely an emergency? Because your child’s baby teeth help maintain proper spacing, and create the paths that the adult teeth follow when they erupt. If they lose one or more baby teeth prematurely, this can create serious oral development problems in the future.
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If your child has lost a baby tooth prematurely, you need to come into our office as soon as you can. Dr. Courtney Marzban will examine their mouth, and may place a “space maintainer.” Space maintainers help ensure the proper gap is maintained between your child’s remaining teeth, and prevent future oral development problems.