Emergency Info
Dental emergency during our regular office hours: please call us at 512-219-9827. We are here to help you in any way we can.
Dental emergency after our regular office hours: we have made arrangements for the "on-call" doctor to help you. Please call our office at 512-219-9827, and our telephone message will give you the contact information for the doctor on call.
What should I do if my child has a toothache?
Over-the-counter children's pain medication, dosed according to your child's weight and age, might ease the symptoms. Until your child can be treated, you should rinse the mouth with lukewarm water and apply cloth wrapped ice to their face. Do not apply heat, and you should never put an aspirin on the tooth or gums. Aspirin is acidic; placed on a tooth or against the gums, it can produce burns. Finally, children who complain of a toothache often have food lodged between their teeth. Gently flossing the area of discomfort may provide immediate relief.
My son was hit in the mouth and his front permanent tooth was knocked out. What should I do?
Find the tooth and rinse it gently in cool water. Do not scrub or clean it with soap, use only water. If possible, replace the tooth in the socket immediately and hold it there with gauze or a wash cloth. If you can't put the tooth back in the socket, place the tooth in a clean container with cold milk, saliva or water. Get to the pediatric dental office immediately.
To protect your child in the future, have your dentist fit your child for a mouthguard and consider purchasing one or more tooth-saver boxes for your home and car.
My son chipped his front tooth. How difficult will it be to fix it, and how long will it take?
Contact your pediatric dentist immediately. Quick action can save the tooth, prevent infection and reduce the need for extensive dental treatment. Rinse the mouth with water and apply cold compresses to reduce swelling if the lip was also injured. If you can find the broken tooth fragment, place it in cold milk or water and bring it with you to the dental office. A fragment can occasionally be bonded back onto the tooth. Even without the broken piece, a dentist can often restore the tooth to its natural appearance.
My daughter fell and bumped her front baby tooth, and now it's dark?
It is a very common concern to see that dark baby tooth because kids are bumping their teeth all the time. It will likely lighten back up. If it doesn't, there still may be no treatment needed other than observation. The discoloration may mean that the impact has damaged the blood supply. Rarely, it will abscess and need removal or a baby tooth root canal. See your dentist for the appropriate treatment.