Is this your symptom?
- Injury to a tooth (or teeth)
Symptoms
- The main symptom is pain.
- Minor bleeding from the gums may occur.
Types of Tooth Injuries
- Loosened Tooth. May bleed a little from the gums. Usually tightens up on its own.
- Displaced Tooth. Usually pushed inward. Needs to be seen.
- Chipped Tooth. Minor fracture in a small corner of tooth. The fracture goes to the dentin (yellow color), not the pulp (red color). Not painful. See dentist during office hours.
- Fractured Tooth. The fracture goes down to the pulp. The pulp is where the blood supply and nerves to the tooth are. The main finding is a red dot or bleeding in the center of the tooth. Very painful. Needs a root canal to save the tooth.
- Knocked-Out Tooth. A dental emergency. Needs to be re-implanted within 2 hours. Hold the tooth by the crown (the white part that sticks out from the gum) and clean it by rinsing under running water. You can try pushing the tooth back in place yourself and then bite on a clean piece of cloth to hold it in place until you see the dentist. Or, you can keep it in some milk or in the space between your lip and your gum until you can see the dentist. Take care not to swallow it.
- Lost tooth. If you have had an injury and a tooth has been knocked out and you can't find the tooth, there is a possibility that you could have swallowed or inhaled the tooth into the lung.
- If you know you have swallowed it, there is nothing that can be done to get it back. It will pass through your bowel without any problem.
- If there is a possibility that you could have inhaled it, you should get a chest X-ray to see if it can be seen in the airway. This is more common in children, elderly patients, mentally challenged patients, and those suffering from neurological disorders. If the tooth is in the airway, it will need to be removed to prevent you from getting a serious lung infection.
When to Call for Tooth Injury
Go to ER Now
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Call Your Dentist or Doctor Now
Contact Your Dentist Within 24 Hours
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Contact Your Dentist During Office Hours
Self Care at Home
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Go to ER Now
- Bleeding that won't stop after 10 minutes of direct pressure
- You may have inhaled a tooth that has been knocked out and can't be found
Call Your Dentist or Doctor Now
- Tooth is knocked out. Note: needs to be put back within 2 hours to survive.
- Tooth is almost falling out
- Tooth is pushed far out of its normal place
- Tooth that's pushed out of its normal place makes it hard to chew
- Severe pain
- You think you have a serious injury
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Your Dentist Within 24 Hours
- Tooth is slightly pushed out of its normal place
- Chip or crack in the tooth
- Tooth feels very loose when you try to move it
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Your Dentist During Office Hours
- Cold fluids cause tooth pain
- Tooth turns a darker color
- Crown or cap comes off. Note: save the crown for the dentist.
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Minor tooth injury
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
