Pediatric Emergency Dentist – Coppell, TX

Urgent Dental Care for the Star in Your Life

If you’re a parent, you don’t need us to tell you how accident-prone kids can be. Unfortunately, this sometimes has disastrous consequences for a child’s smile. If your child has damaged a tooth, or if they’ve been complaining of a toothache, the fastest way to bring them relief is to call the dentistry team and pediatric emergency dentist in Coppell, TX, Linda A. Steele, DDS. Dr. Linda has more than 25 years of experience as a pediatric dentist, so she’s seen it all. She’ll ensure your child remains comfortable as she gives their smile the VIP treatment!

Why Choose Linda A. Steele, DDS for Pediatric Emergency Dentistry?

  • Same-Day Emergency Dental Appointments for Kids Available
  • Relaxing Dental Office Environment Helps Kids Feel Safe
  • Sedation Dentistry Offered for Nervous Patients

How We Treat Pediatric Dental Emergencies

Child in dental chair for emergency dentistry

When your young one’s smile is in trouble, the first thing you should do is call our dental office. From there, you can expect us to handle your child’s dental emergency by:

  • Scheduling a same-day appointment – We’ll evaluate your child’s situation and book your appointment as soon as possible, often later that day. Additionally, we can guide you on helping your son or daughter remain calm until then. You can even send pictures over the phone, which we’ll use to recommend a course of action.
  • Assessing the damage – Once you arrive, Dr. Linda will examine your child’s mouth and take X-rays if needed to find out the source and extent of the problem.
  • Going over the treatment options – Dr. Linda will review her findings as well as her recommendations for next steps to take. We can also discuss the associated fees and your financial options.
  • Restoring their smile – Once you and Dr. Linda have agreed on a treatment plan, she’ll get right to work on making your child’s pearly whites fit for the silver screen.

The Most Common Pediatric Dental Emergencies 

No matter what your son or daughter is going through, it’s important to stay calm. Even if you’re not quite sure whether your child’s situation qualifies as an emergency, it never hurts to give us a call just to be safe. One thing is certain: if your child is facing one of these common dental emergencies, you definitely need to book an appointment with us right away.

Toothaches

  • Is My Child's Toothache a Dental Emergency? – There are many possible reasons for a toothache, but we typically qualify it as an emergency if:
    • The pain has not subsided after 24 hours
    • Over-the-counter children’s pain relievers have not been effective
    • There is a small bump on the gums near the tooth
    • The tooth looks darker than the surrounding ones
  • How You Should Handle Your Child's Toothache – First, floss around your child’s hurting tooth, as pain can sometimes stem from a piece of food or other debris getting caught between teeth. If that doesn’t work, then you can alleviate their pain until their appointment by applying a cold compress to their cheek in ten-minute intervals or having them rinse with salt water (make sure they spit it out, not swallow it).
  • How We Treat Toothaches in Children – A child's severe toothache is most commonly caused by a cavity or infection. Depending on the circumstances, we may treat a kid's toothache in Coppell with a filling, a dental crown, or – if the damage is too extensive – a safe tooth extraction.

Learn More About Fillings

Learn More About Crowns

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

Cracked Tooth

Is my child’s cracked tooth an emergency? If your child has minor damage, they can wait a few days to seek treatment. However, major damage will require immediate care from a kid’s emergency dentist in Coppell. You should always contact our office shortly after your child sustains a blow to the face to schedule an appointment, especially if they’re complaining about sensitivity.

How you should handle your child’s cracked tooth: Ask your child to carefully rinse their mouth with warm water to wash away any lingering bacteria. If needed, they can use a cold compress or take over-the-counter pain medication to ease discomfort. Make sure they avoid chewing on the injured side of their mouth while waiting for their appointment.

How we treat children’s cracked teeth: Most cases are addressed with a custom-made dental crown. However, minor damage can be repaired with the same tooth-colored material used for fillings. If the tooth is damaged beyond repair, an extraction may be the ideal solution.

Learn More About Fillings

Learn More About Crowns

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

Chipped Tooth

Is my child’s chipped tooth an emergency? Chipped teeth aren’t usually considered a dental emergency, but your child should still seek treatment as soon as possible. Otherwise, leaving it untreated can lead to serious complications.

How you should handle your child’s chipped tooth: Have your child rinse their mouth to eliminate any lingering pieces of the tooth. It’ll prevent them from accidentally swallowing or choking on the fragments. If there are any sharp or jagged edges, you can apply dental wax or sugar-free gum to protect the soft oral tissues.

How we treat children’s chipped teeth: The most common solution for chipped teeth in children is dental bonding. For teens who have damaged a highly visible tooth, they can opt for a dental veneer. It’ll repair the tooth while improving aesthetics.

Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth

Is A Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? It is! Not only does a knocked-out tooth have the potential to be quite painful, but you need to bring your child to our Coppell pediatric emergency dentist within 60 minutes of the incident for the highest likelihood of the tooth being saved. So, call our team ASAP. Over the phone, we can schedule a time for you to come in and guide you through how to handle a knocked-out tooth until you arrive at our office.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth First, do your best to locate the tooth. If you are able to find it, then carefully pick it up by the crown (the chewing surface). Next, rinse it off gently with clean water. If the tooth easily slides back into the socket it came from, do that. If that’s not possible or your child is too scared to try that, then store it in a small glass of milk or saliva to preserve the root.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Permanent Teeth Since our goal is always to save your child’s natural teeth, we will first attempt to reattach the tooth. If the tooth isn’t in good condition, however, then that won’t be possible. In that case, we will review the available tooth-replacement solutions. That way, the look, function, and health of their smile aren’t compromised in the short or long-term.

Knocked-Out Baby Tooth

Is a Knocked-Out Baby Tooth a Dental Emergency? Although baby teeth are supposed to fall out, it can be a dental emergency if it happens too soon. After all, we need to make sure that the surrounding teeth and the underlying tooth weren’t injured in the process. So, get in touch with us as soon as you can. From there, we can determine if a same-day visit to our Coppell pediatric dental office is necessary.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Baby Tooth The first step is to have your child gently rinse their mouth with water. Next, use a tissue (or gauze, if you have it) to apply pressure to the area and control the bleeding. If that area of their mouth has begun to swell, then you can offer them a cold compress or towel-wrapped icepack, which they can use for 10-minute intervals. Lastly, make sure they don’t eat any hard, crunchy, or sticky foods, and offer them a children’s over-the-counter pain reliever if they are experiencing any discomfort.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Baby Teeth When your child arrives at our office, we will get them comfortably settled in the treatment chair before conducting an exam. In some cases, we may not need to do anything but provide them with a mouthguard to protect their other teeth from damage. In other cases, we need to place a space maintainer to prevent their surrounding teeth from drifting into the open space.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MOUTHGUARDS BUTTON

Bitten Tongue, Lip, Cheek

Is a Bitten Tongue, Lip, or Cheek an Emergency? Soft tissue injuries can be quite stressful, especially since they can produce a lot of blood. Luckily, they mostly are minor enough that they can be handled at home. If the bleeding continues after 10 minutes of applying pressure, then you should take your child to the ER.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Soft Tissue Injury After having your child rinse their mouth with clean, room-temperature water, offer them a wet washcloth, piece of gauze, or tissue and have them apply pressure to the area. Once the bleeding has stopped, you can reduce any lingering swelling with an ice pack. The area may still feel sensitive, so remind them to chew carefully until the wound has completely healed.

How We Treat Soft Tissue Injuries in Children As we mentioned above, soft tissue injuries typically don’t require a visit to our office for treatment. With that said, if you are ever unsure what to do or have a question about your child’s oral health, you’re more than welcome to give us a call. From there, we can learn more about their injury and provide you with instructions on what to do next.

Dental Concussion  

Is My Child's Dental Concussion an Emergency? A dental concussion refers to a tooth that’s been shoved out of place but hasn’t completely fallen out. This often happens during sports-related accidents, which is why it’s important for your child to wear a mouthguard during games and practices. Regardless, we recommend calling our Coppell pediatric dental team right away so we can determine if a same-day appointment is necessary.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Dental Concussion In stressful situations, it can be helpful to remind your child that you are there for them and are going to get them the care they need. Until their appointment, have them periodically rinse their mouth with clean water. You should also remind them not to use their tongue or fingers to touch their tooth. Lastly, you can give them an over-the-counter pain reliever for children or place a cold compress against the outside of their cheek to help ease discomfort.

How We Treat Dental Concussions in Children After conducting an oral exam and taking X-rays, Dr. Steele will review the treatment options for you and your child. In some cases, that includes a dental splint to support the tooth as it heals. In others, it requires a tooth extraction or orthodontics.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ATHLETIC MOUTHGUARDS

Sensitive Teeth  

Are My Child's Sensitive Teeth an Emergency? Oftentimes, persistent sensitivity is the result of an untreated cavity. That’s why we recommend calling our Coppell dental team right away. Over the phone, we can learn more about your child’s symptoms and schedule a time for them to come in for treatment.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Sensitive Teeth Fortunately, there are several short-term solutions that can help keep your child comfortable, like using a desensitizing toothpaste, avoiding spicy foods, and drinking lukewarm water.

How We Treat Sensitive Teeth in Children Of course, we will need to conduct a detailed exam in order to determine what the best treatment is. Most often, we can use a fluoride treatment, dental sealants, or a filling to treat the root of the problem.

Lost Fillings or Crowns  

Is My Child's Lost Filling or Crown an Emergency? Yes. After all, the tooth is now unprotected, which can result in an infection, crack, and other dental damage. So, bring your child in for an appointment with our Coppell pediatric dentist right away.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Lost Filling or Crown First, do your best to locate the restoration. If you are able to find it, place it carefully in a clean container or bag and bring it to their appointment. To prevent discomfort, make sure your child doesn’t eat any sweet, spicy, or acidic foods until their tooth has been treated.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns in Children If your child’s restoration is in good condition, then there’s a good chance we can recement it in place. If that’s not possible, don’t worry – we can also replace it so their tooth looks as good as it functions!

Something Stuck Between the Teeth  

Is Having Something Stuck Between My Child's Teeth an Emergency? Fortunately, this is rarely a dental emergency. However, if you are having trouble removing the debris or your child is experiencing a lot of discomfort, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team so we can help.

How You Should Handle Something Stuck Between Your Child's Teeth We recommend first having your child rinse with a mixture of salt and water. This should help dissolve and loosen the debris. Then, use a piece of floss to gently clean between your child’s teeth. If you’re having trouble, do NOT resort to using sharp objects, like tweezers. Instead, call our office so we can schedule a time for your child to come in.

Understanding the Cost of Pediatric Dental Emergencies

Child holding cheek in pain before emergency dentistry

We know that parents are sometimes concerned about the cost of their child’s dental care, especially if something unexpected happens, like a knocked-out tooth. For that reason, our team is here to help make navigating the financial component as stress-free as possible, starting by providing estimates of the price upfront. We’ve also provided additional information right here, including the factors that go into the cost of emergency dentistry and the financial solutions we offer.

Why Every Dental Emergency is Different

Pediatric dental team reviewing X-ray with child

Since every child’s smile is different, there isn’t a flat fee for emergency dental care. Instead, Dr. Linda needs to evaluate the situation by learning more about what happened, taking X-rays, and conducting a visual exam. At that point, we can determine the specific treatments required and how much they will cost.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?

Tablet with dental insurance information next to desk supplies

Although it’s rare for dental insurance providers to cover the entire cost, there’s a chance they will cover a portion of your child’s visit. For example, many plans cover between 50% and 80% of the cost of restorative treatments, like dental fillings and crowns. So, if you’re insured, don’t hesitate to provide us with your information! We’re happy to accept most dental insurance carriers, including BlueCross Blue Shield, Cigna, and United Healthcare.

Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable

Teddy bear on counter with dental tools

Since only about 50% of Americans have dental insurance, we recognized the importance of offering other financial solutions as well. To begin, we have in-house membership plans that help you save immediately – no waiting periods, annual deductibles, and the like. If you would like to opt for flexible financing instead, that’s okay too! We welcome CareCredit, a trusted third-party financier that offers several payment plans. This ensures that you don’t have to pay for the entire cost of your child’s treatment upfront.

How Taking Care Of Your Child’s Smile Can Save You Money

Mom and daughter brushing their teeth together

Keep in mind that avoiding treatment for damaged baby teeth may seem cost-effective, but it can actually cost you more in the long term. Even though baby teeth eventually fall out, problems with them can lead to problems in the adult teeth that ultimately become more expensive to treat. For all of these reasons, we strongly encourage parents to reinforce good oral hygiene habits, like brushing for a full two minutes each morning and evening. Your child should also begin visiting us biannually once their first tooth comes in (or by their first birthday) as well as start flossing once they have two teeth that touch.

Keys to Preventing Pediatric Dental Emergencies

Young girl at dental office for emergency dentistry

Accidents happen, so there’s no surefire way to prevent children’s dental emergencies 100% of the time. However, you can reduce the risk by taking some easy precautionary measures, such as:

Schedule a Dental Checkup & Cleaning Twice a Year

Young girl smiling during routine dental cleaning

We can’t emphasize enough how important it is that your child visits our Coppell pediatric dental team every six months for a checkup and cleaning. During these visits, we can monitor their development, catch tooth decay early on, provide pointers on how to improve their at-home oral hygiene regimen, clean the hard-to-reach areas of their mouth, and so much more. At your child’s next appointment, don’t hesitate to ask us whether they could benefit from fluoride treatments or dental sealants too!

Maintain Good Oral Hygiene At Home

Father and daughter smiling while brushing their teeth in bathroom

In short, establishing and maintaining an oral hygiene routine at home is just the beginning. In addition to making sure that your child is brushing twice a day and flossing consistently, it’s important to provide them with the proper tools as well. The type of bristles on their toothbrush is a great example. While soft bristles can effectively remove debris from their teeth without damaging them, hard bristles can easily irritate their gums and the other soft tissue in their mouth.

Provide Your Child with a Nutritious Diet

Child smiling with plate of healthy food in front of her

If your child is like most kids, they may love soda, candy, and other sweet treats. While everything can be enjoyed in moderation, it’s important to make sure that your child doesn’t eat too many sugary snacks. After all, this is one of the leading causes of cavities. Instead, focus on providing them with a well-balanced diet that has lots of smile-friendly foods as well, such as yogurt, fruit, and vegetables. In addition to keeping their teeth strong, these foods will give their bodies the nutrients it needs to help fight infections!

Make Sure They Wear a Mouthguard During Sports

Child placing blue mouthguard in his mouth

Simply put, a mouthguard helps keep your child on the field and out of our emergency dentist’s chair! Whether your athlete participates in a contact sport (i.e., basketball, football, wrestling) or a solo sport, like surfing, it’s important that they protect their teeth and gums in the process. Before you buy a mouthguard at your local sporting goods store, talk to our team about the benefits of having a custom one made.

Remember, Teeth Are Not Tools!

Pediatric dentist and child smiling while giving thumbs up

Your child’s teeth may be sharp, but they are not good substitutes for scissors! As a result, they should never use their chompers to open plastic wrapping. They also shouldn’t use them to clip their nails or chew on non-food items, like pencils. This can easily result in a chip or fracture that necessitates a same-day visit to our Coppell pediatric dental office for treatment.

Pediatric Dental Emergency FAQs

Child smiling with stuffed animal while dentist and parents talk

If you want to learn more about pediatric emergency dentistry – from what throbbing tooth pain means to what to do if your child knocks out one of their baby teeth – you’ll be happy to know you’re in the right place! This next section is dedicated to frequently asked questions so you can continue your research right here. As always, if you have a specific question or concern, you’re welcome to reach out to us directly as well.

Are knocked-out baby teeth a dental emergency?

If your child knocks out one of their baby teeth, then you should absolutely call our Coppell pediatric dental team ASAP. Over the phone, we will learn more about the situation, like how old your child is. This is important because if the tooth came out months or years before it would’ve naturally fallen out on its own, then we need to conduct an exam and intervene with the necessary treatment right away.

What does throbbing tooth pain mean?

Has your child been dealing with throbbing tooth pain? If so, they may have a cracked, decayed, or otherwise damaged tooth. In the short-term, you can provide them with a cold compress and soft foods to help alleviate their discomfort. However, for long-term relief, they need to get professional treatment. When you bring them in for an appointment, our Coppell pediatric dentist will conduct a thorough exam, determine the source of the problem, and review all of the treatment options available so you can make an informed decision on what’s best for your child’s oral health.

Do chipped teeth heal?

No, chipped teeth do not heal on their own. Don’t worry – that doesn’t mean that your child has to deal with an annoying chip moving forward. Simply bring them in for an appointment, and we will determine the best way to restore the missing structure depending on the size of the chip and the location of the tooth.

What should I keep in my emergency dentistry kit?

It’s no secret that dental injuries can be quite painful. Plus, even if your child is coming in right away for treatment, it can be helpful to have a few things on hand, including a topical anesthetic, such as Orajel, floss, gauze pads and dressings, and an OTC pain reliever for children. It’s also helpful to keep our practice’s contact information in the same place so you have everything you need.

Are toothpicks safe to use?

Since toothpicks can be deadly if swallowed, we don’t recommend using them. We also don’t recommend using any other sharp objects, like tweezers, to remove debris from between their teeth. Instead, use some floss to gently remove it. If you’re having trouble, then you can always reach out to us to schedule a time for your little one to come in.

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