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Emergency Kids' Dentistry – St. Catharines, ON
Fast Help When You Need it the Most
If your child is experiencing any dental pain, Coral Kids Dentistry & Braces is here to help ensure that their teeth are taken care of quickly and efficiently. Please call us with any questions or concerns you may have. It’s OK if you aren’t sure if you have a dental emergency or not; we are always here to help. If you are concerned, then so are we! Whether your child has sudden tooth pain, swelling, or has broken or chipped a tooth, it is important to contact us to discuss what your next steps should be and schedule an appointment for emergency kids' dentistry in St. Catharine's, ON if necessary.
Why Choose Coral Kids Dentistry & Braces
for Emergency Kid’s Dentistry?
- Same-Day Emergency Dental Exams
- Dental Anesthesiologist on Staff
- Friendly & Highly Experienced Team
How We Treat Dental Emergencies
- Initial Call: Once you explain your situation over the phone, we’ll let you know if you need to come see us and schedule a same-day appointment. We’ll also offer first-aid tips to keep your child comfortable until their visit.
- Emergency Exam: Before we can provide a solution, we need to understand the problem, so we'll take x-rays and examine your child's mouth.
- Treatment Options: We’ll go over your child’s care options as well as the associated costs so you know exactly what to expect.
- Delivery of Care: We’ll put a stop to your child’s pain and repair any damage that we can in a single appointment. Beyond that, we might ask that you come back so we can further restore their smile depending on the situation.
The Most Common Dental Emergencies
If your child is experiencing any type of dental pain, it probably feels like a dental emergency. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so be sure to reach out to our team if they ever encounter any out-of-the-ordinary oral symptoms. Below, you can see a list of some of the most common dental emergencies we’re ready to handle.
Understanding the Cost of Emergency Dentistry
The cost of emergency dentistry isn’t the same from patient to patient. After all, the injury at hand and the necessary treatment aren’t the same from patient to patient either! Across the board, however, the best approach is to bring your child to see us sooner rather than later. This way, we can treat the problem early – before it becomes more complicated. We’ll also discuss how we can use your insurance to make their care more affordable.
Why Every Dental Emergency is Different
Because every dental emergency is different, there is no set cost for urgent dental care. We’ll only be able to give you a price breakdown after we’ve had a chance to examine your child’s mouth. After taking X-rays and thoroughly checking the condition of their teeth and gums, we will be able to determine both the issue at hand and how severe it is. From there, we will review all of our findings with you, answer any questions you have, and get to work on restoring your child’s smile.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?
Sometimes, dental insurance companies do cover a portion of the cost! So, if your child needs emergency dental care, it’s worth reviewing the fine print on your plan to get a better understanding of your available benefits. If you have any questions, you can also reach out to our team. We can help you file the claims so you get the maximum reimbursement, reducing your out-of-pocket expenses significantly.
How Taking Care Of Your Child’s Smile Can Save You Money
The good news is that the large majority of oral health problems and even some dental emergencies can be prevented. As your child’s pediatric dental team in St. Catharine’s, we recommend taking proactive measures, like having your child wear a mouthguard during sports. Additionally, they should brush and floss consistently as well as rinse with mouthwash daily (once they’re old enough). Bringing them in for a checkup and cleaning twice a year is also important so we can catch cracks, cavities, and other issues before they result in a painful dental injury. Lastly, do your best to encourage your child to break bad habits, like biting their nails and chewing on cubes of ice.
Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies
Seeing your child in pain due to a knocked-out, cracked, or chipped tooth can be heartbreaking as a parent. Plus, having to drop everything to get them the emergency dental care they need can be stressful. Simply put, we completely understand wanting to avoid serious dental injuries, even though we aim to be here whenever you need us. With this in mind, here are a few best practices we recommend to help reduce your child’s chances of experiencing a dental emergency.
Schedule a Checkup and Cleaning Biannually
From your child’s first birthday (or sooner if their first tooth emerges before then), they should visit our St. Catharines dentist every six months for a checkup and cleaning. This isn’t just important because it will help keep their smile healthy throughout the years; it will also ensure that we catch tooth decay and other serious oral health problems as early as possible. Plus, the tools we use during their dental cleanings are the only ones that can effectively remove built-up tartar.
Help Your Child Maintain Good Oral Hygiene At Home
Growing up, your child may need a lot of help or supervision when it comes to their at-home oral hygiene routine, especially as their fine motor skills are developing. This is crucial because consistently brushing and flossing is one of the best ways to prevent cavities on a daily basis. If you have any questions about which products you should be using, what the proper techniques are, and how to help motivate your child to be consistent, please don’t hesitate to give our team a call so we can help.
Encourage Your Child to Eat a Nutritious Diet
Sugary treats, like soda and candy, may be some of your child’s favorites. However, they are also one of the leading causes of tooth decay among children. That’s why we encourage parents to keep foods and drinks with added sugar to a minimum. Instead, do your best to fill their plates with nutrient-dense items, like vegetables and fruits. It’s also helpful to educate your child on the benefits of eating these so they do so even while they are at school, at a friend’s house, etc.
Have Your Child Wear a Mouthguard
Whether your child participates in a sport at their school or through their community, it’s of the utmost importance that they wear a mouthguard during games and practices. With a custom-made one from our team, you can have peace of mind knowing it will be comfortable and the appropriate thickness, increasing the chances that your child will actually wear it and that it will properly protect their teeth and gums.
Remember, Your Child Should Never Use Their Teeth as Tools
If your child is having a hard time opening a bag of chips or the packaging of a toy with their hands, they may be tempted to instead use their teeth. This is dangerous and can quickly result in a serious crack or fracture! So, encourage good habits, like using the appropriate tools to open items.
Pulp Therapy (Baby Root Canals)
Some of the most severe toothaches can stem from a dental infection that has reached the pulp layer of a tooth, where a sensitive nerve is located. Pulp therapy enables our team to quickly stop the pain while saving the tooth from extraction. We simply remove the infected pulp, leave the rest alone, and top the tooth with a dental crown to restore its strength and appearance.
Tooth Extractions
While everyone would prefer to let their child’s teeth fall out naturally, sometimes, the only way to help with a severely damaged or decayed tooth is to remove it. Whether we are extracting a baby tooth or adult tooth, our team will ensure your child remains comfortable throughout the entire process and knows what to expect. If appropriate, we can discuss replacement options beforehand to minimize the time they spend with an incomplete smile. Our team utilizes space maintainers to help keep the teeth straight.
Learn More About Space Maintainers
Wisdom Tooth Extractions
Around late teens or early twenties, the third set of molars, or wisdom teeth, start to come in. Often, there isn’t enough room in the mouth for them, which can lead to pain and can cause nearby teeth to shift. Usually, the most direct way to resolve these issues is to remove the wisdom teeth, which we can do right here in-office. Thanks to our team’s experience and use of sedation, you can count on your child remaining comfortable throughout the entire process.
Nursing Bottle Syndrome
Nursing Bottle Syndrome is a specific type of tooth decay that develops in infants. It occurs when they go to sleep with a bottle in their mouths that has a sugary liquid (it can be milk, formula, or juice), and this exposes their teeth to the substance for several consecutive hours. This gives the sugar ample opportunity to fuel oral bacteria that can lead to cavities and toothaches. To avoid this, make sure your baby’s bottle only has unflavored water in it if they are about to go to sleep. If your child has already developed some dental issues due to their bottle, we can fix any problems they currently have and help you put a plan in place to avoid the same trouble in the future.