Dental Associates for Kids Only is dedicated to earning the trust and confidence of patients and their parents. Following is some information about our practice policies. If you need more information, please do not hesitate to call or ask us when you're here. We look forward to answering your questions and addressing any concerns you may have.

Toothaches
Thoroughly clean the area of the affected tooth. Rinse your child's mouth with warm water or use some dental floss to help dislodge impacted food. If the pain persists, call us. DO NOT place aspirin on the gum or the tooth. If the face is swollen apply cold compresses and call us.

Cut or bitten tongue or cheek
Apply ice to the area. If there is some bleeding apply some light pressure with a cloth or gauze. If the bleeding does not stop after 15 minutes and can not be controlled by simple pressure, take your child to the hospital emergency room.

Knocked out permanent tooth
Find the tooth. Handle the tooth by the crown, and not by the root portion. You may rinse the tooth but do not handle the tooth unnecessarily. Inspect the tooth for fractures. If it is in good shape try to reinsert it back into the socket. If you cannot reinsert it, place the tooth in a cup of milk or a cup containing some saliva from your child. Time is very critical, so please call us as soon as possible.

If the permanent tooth is chipped, please see if you can find the piece. The piece can possibly be bonded back into place. Please store it in water and call us as soon as possible.

If your child grinds his teeth at night
This is called bruxism. Parents are often concerned over this. Grinding is normal and can come in a variety of factors. Kids will often grind their teeth because they are teething, or their sinus's bother them, or they have ear pain. Another factor for grinding may be stress. Although your stress and theirs are different they are still stresses. Just watch kids take a test. Some kids are biting their nails, some chewing on a pencil tip, others are twirling their hair. Unless there is excessive wear on the teeth we do not worry about this type of grinding. Later on in life we can evaluate it for other problems such as TMJ.

Thumb sucking or pacifier habits
Sucking is a natural reflex and infants and young children may use their thumbs, fingers, and pacifiers. It may make them feel comforted and happy, and can provide a sense of security in difficult periods. It may often help your child sleep.

If thumb sucking persists after the eruption of the permanent teeth, it may cause growth problems. We want to try to avoid orthopedic changes in the mouth. The ideal time to try to get your child to stop sucking is approximately three years old.
As your child gets older and the habit persists, we can recommend a habit-breaking appliance or retainer. These really only become successful if the child has a real desire to stop the habit. Please ask us about a few ways to help your child break the habit.

Tongue piercing is NOT cool
Today you can see that there are many people walking around with piercings. There are many risks involved with oral piercings, including chipped or cracked teeth, blood clots, or even blood poisoning. Your mouth contains millions of bacteria, and infection is a common complication of oral piercing. Your tongue can swell large enough to close off your airway!