How should chipped teeth in children be handled?

Chipped teeth in young children are quite common and can be restored quickly with proper care after an injury. However, as a parent, you should still find out the causes and treatment to prevent this condition.

Young children are often active, like to run around, but are very prone to falls because motor skills are not yet complete. Each time, baby teeth will be very susceptible to impact, causing breakage and chipping.

Many parents think that their child's teeth are just baby teeth, so there is no problem. However, do not be too subjective because if you are not handled carefully, your baby's teeth are very difficult to recover and cause great damage in the future. Please join aFamilyToday Health to continue to share the following to understand more about the causes as well as how to handle them when a child has a chipped tooth condition.

Chipped teeth in young children

The main sign of a chipped, broken or broken tooth is usually a lower crack on the baby's teeth near the gums. In severe cases, the tooth may crack into two parts. These fissures can damage the enamel layer, however it is less painful as it does not affect the pulp.

With small cracks appearing on the enamel surface, painlessly, no treatment is needed. However, you should still be monitored for a week after that. to the dental clinic. For serious cases such as a broken root, you need to bring your child to the dentist for treatment.

The cause of chipped teeth in young children

Chipped teeth are often caused by one of the following reasons:

1. Motor skills not yet developed

Children, especially those under 2 years old, are in the stage of developing motor skills. Therefore, when walking and playing, children will easily fall and cause teeth to hit, cause chipping or breaking.

2. Play sports

Playing sports is one of the main causes of injury to a child's teeth. When children play sports such as soccer, boxing, hockey, wrestling, basketball, skateboarding ... colliding with friends will make teeth more susceptible to injury, causing chipping or broken teeth.

3. Falls

A fall while playing at a park or climbing or running can cause a child's teeth to break or break.

4. Disability

Children having certain health problems that interfere with motor skills, such as cerebral palsy or epilepsy , can increase the risk of falling, leading to tooth fractures.

What to do when children have chipped teeth?

When you find that your child's teeth are chipped or broken, the first thing you should do is reassure your child and take the necessary first aid measures :

If the child feels pain, this indicates that the pulp tissue in the tooth enamel has been severely damaged. In this situation, you should take the child to the dentist for root canal treatment and fix the teeth to keep the teeth in place.

If the crack is in a visible place, such as the crown of the crown, just take your child to the dentist for a filler or restoration. This treatment is usually painless.

If the crack cannot be covered with a filling or prosthesis, your dentist may suggest that you give your child a ceramic veneer to add to the aesthetics.

If the baby tooth falls out, parents should take the baby to the dentist to examine and bring the teeth to check if the root is missing or sink in the alveolar, there is any damage to the permanent root in the gums. or not. If the permanent root shows signs of not growing properly without fixed primary teeth, the dentist will take the right intervention.

Handling chipped teeth in young children at home

Here are a few home pain relievers to try:

Salt water: Gargle with warm salt water to prevent infection. You can make this solution by dissolving a teaspoon of salt with half a liter of water and rinsing your baby after a meal.

Use a cold compress: Place a cold compress on the sore and swollen gum area.

Garlic and cloves mixture : This is a great pain reliever mixture that you can give your child to try.

Prevent chipped teeth in young children

You can prevent chipped baby teeth by several methods:

1. Supervise the child carefully

The most common cause of chipped or broken teeth is due to parents' neglect and inattention when children play. Therefore, when running and jumping, you need to monitor your child and show them to play in safe places.

In addition, if a baby falls, causing an injury to the mouth, you should check his / her mouth for timely intervention if the teeth are chipped.

2. Use protective equipment

Sports-related tooth injuries can be prevented by using protective devices, such as mouth guards when participating in resistance sports such as martial arts or boxing to avoid injury. tooth.

3. Protect children from potential dangers

If your child is in the stage of walking, you can use more objects to prevent him from being hurt by falls or impact. For example, let children play on a mattress or carpet to prevent strong impacts.

When should I take my child to the dentist?

You should take your child to the dentist if:

Suspecting that the child's tooth marrow is damaged

Feel that your child may have a tooth infection

Children with permanent tooth damage

Chipped teeth have sharp edges, can cut on the tongue or palate.

Once you have grasped some of the tips in the above sharing, you will not need to worry too much about chipped teeth in young children. Alternatively, you can take this opportunity to teach your child about the responsibility and importance of keeping yourself safe.