Keep Your Teeth Safe This Summer: Be Prepared!

June marks the official start of summer and for many parents it's filled with celebrations and graduations as children finish the school year. June is also the month where our pediatric dentists begin to see an increase in dental emergencies, many due to pool injuries. This past weekend, in fact, Dr. Cortez received an emergency phone call from a young patient who dove to the bottom of the pool and hit her front teeth. He and one of our staff came to the office on Saturday to provide emergency care to fix her chipped teeth. 

Statistics show that during the summer we spend more time outdoors participating in a wide variety of water sports and swimming activities. Taking some simple safety precautions can make for great fun over the summer months.  

Water related dental injuries

Diving and jumping into shallow water are major causes of serious injuries. Surfacing from a pool or swimming with eyes closed can lead to a fractured tooth by hitting the concrete wall at the edge of a pool. Other severe injuries result from falling on slippery walkways, decks, diving boards and ladders.

Here are some tips if an injury occurs:

   1. Call our office immediately if a tooth injury occur- as time is critical when trying to save a knocked out tooth.  Whether the injury occurs after hours or during holidays we are always here to assist when an emergency occurs.

   2. Chipped or Broken Teeth. If your child has chipped or broken his tooth, rinse his mouth with warm water, then use a cold compress to reduce swelling. Try to locate and save the tooth fragment that broke off. 

    3. Knocked out Teeth. If your child’s tooth has been knocked out, find the tooth and place the tooth in a clean container with milk. If milk is not available, place the tooth in a clean container with the patient's own saliva. Do not scrub or clean the tooth with soap.

 

 

Avoiding Tooth Injuries
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recently released a guide for parents to help them handle common childhood dental emergencies.

You can help your child avoid some dental emergencies. Remind children to avoid running around wet slippery surfaces. Avoid diving into shallow pools and surfacing with eyes closed. If your child plays contact sports, have him or her wear a mouth guard.

For more information about water safety speak with your pediatric dentist, pediatrician, or check out the  “Sun and Water Safety Tips”   from the American Academy of Pediatrics.