If you have young children, keeping them healthy is your most important concern. When it comes to their dental health, that goal may be more challenging as your child begins to lose his or her teeth. How you deal with the loss of a tooth can affect your child’s overall oral health, so here are a few tips for treating a lost tooth with care.
When the Tooth Becomes Loose
As your child starts to lose a baby tooth, the tooth will become loose and will start to shift. While this is a natural process, it will cause bleeding to occur and that can be an unsettling experience for both the parent and the child. Any dentist, such as Karl Jobst DDS Grove OK, will urge you to keep calm and to help your child keep calm. Simply have the child rinse with warm water until the blood has been flushed from the mouth.
Brushing the Gap
When the tooth does fall out, proper oral hygiene is especially important. You may want to watch your child brush or help with it, so you can ensure the child doesn’t brush the area too vigorously. Children have a tendency to scrub or press hard on the gum tissue where the tooth has been lost. When they do this, they end up irritating the tissue, which can cause it to tear and create more access for bacteria and food particles. This will also keep the gum tissue from healing properly. It’s important to treat the area like any open wound.
Wipe the Gums
Immediately after the tooth comes out, you should use a sterile and soft piece of gauze or cloth to wipe the socket. Ask your child to rinse with warm salt water to help clean the empty socket as well. After the initial rinse, instruct your child not to spit, since this will encourage additional bleeding. Instead, clean gauze should be held in the opening for about 10 minutes or until the bleeding stops.
Treating Pain
In some cases, your child may experience pain as a result of losing the tooth. If this occurs, a nonprescription topical anesthetic can be used to alleviate the discomfort. In cases where the pain and/or bleeding continues, you should consult your child’s dentist.
An Anti-Inflammatory May Be Necessary
As much as you caution your child not to fidget with a loose tooth, he or she probably will flick at it with their tongue or a finger. By the time the tooth does come out, these actions may have caused the surrounding gum tissue to become swollen or inflamed. To reduce swelling, an over the counter anti-inflammatory, such as children’s ibuprofen, may help.
Continue with Good Oral Hygiene Practices
For the first few days, the gum tissue may be especially tender, so it’s okay to brush very lightly over the area. Otherwise, your child should continue to brush regularly, floss daily, and rinse with a fluoride mouthwash. Helping your child develop good oral care practices will ensure his or her teeth will remain strong and healthy over a longer period of time. The normal oral care routine you follow with your child will protect the enamel on growing teeth, so they will remain strong and free of decay.
While losing a tooth is natural, maintaining regular visits with your child’s dentist is essential. It will help your child get used to regular checkups and it will help the dentist identify dental problems early. Overall, good oral hygiene and regular consultations with a dentist will help you protect your child’s teeth and gums throughout his or her childhood.