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¡Se Habla Español! • Insurance/Medicaid • Dental Emergencies
(254) 987-6777 181 W Hwy 190 Suite 4
Copperas Cove, TX 76522
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Emergency Pediatric Dentist — Copperas Cove, TX

Emergency Care for Growing Smiles

Does your child have an active nature? Do they regularly play contact sports like football, baseball, or basketball? If so, they’re at risk of sustaining a bad injury during their game. Even off the field, children can find themselves in the middle of a dental emergency at a moment’s notice. At Cove Choice Dental, we’ll do everything possible to get your child’s oral health back on the right track. From tooth decay to physical injury, we’re ready to help. Don’t wait to give us a call and schedule an appointment with your emergency dentist in Copperas Cove today!

young boy smiling while riding bike

Why Choose Cove Choice Dental for Emergency Dental Care?

What to Do in a Dental Emergency

young girl with dental emergency in Copperas Cove

The Most Common Pediatric Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies can be unsettling, but it’s incredibly important that you stay calm for your child. The first thing you should do is call our office and schedule an emergency appointment. We’ll ask about the situation and provide helpful advice to manage your child’s emergency in Copperas Cove. Until it’s time for their visit, here’s what you can do to improve your little one’s situation.

Understanding the Cost of Pediatric Dental Emergencies

young girl getting dental checkup in Copperas Cove

Since each emergency is different, treatment and costs can vary quite a bit! At Cove Choice Dental, we will start by assessing the situation and relieving your child’s pain. Then, we’ll discuss our findings and recommendations. If possible, we’ll give you more than one treatment option so you can make the best decision for your little one. Of course, we will also provide you with an estimate of the cost upfront, and we’ll review all of the financial solutions we offer as well.

Why Every Dental Emergency is Different

dentist reviewing xray with child in treatment room

In short, children come in for emergency care for a number of reasons – from painful toothaches and persistent dental sensitivity to completely knocked-out teeth. As a result, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to restoring hurting smiles. In some cases, a simple dental filling is all that’s necessary, while an extraction or root canal may be needed in others. Rest assured, we will share all of our findings from the emergency exam as well as our recommendations so you feel confident moving forward with your child’s treatment plan.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?

woman filling out dental insurance form in lobby

While each insurance plan is different, most provide at least partial coverage for exams, X-rays, and both minor and major dental work. So, it’s definitely worth taking the time to look at the fine print on yours to see what is and isn’t covered. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us; we’re proud to work with several popular providers, including Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield, Cigna, and Delta Dental. Plus, we welcome Medicaid and CHIP!

Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable

dental assistant smiling while handing patient form

If you don’t have dental insurance, don’t worry – that’s not the only way to make the cost of kid’s emergency dentistry in Copperas Cove more affordable. Our team at Cove Choice Dental offers periodic specials that are designed to lower your out-of-pocket expenses, like a $65 limited dental emergency visit. Plus, we welcome flexible financing through CareCredit, which is a trusted third-party financier that’s been used by countless patients over the years. Simply put, this financial solution allows you to space out the cost of your child’s care into smaller, monthly chunks instead of having to pay for the entire thing in one lump sum.

How Taking Care Of Your Child’s Smile Can Save You Money

child smiling in mirror after dental treatment

Accidents aside, many dental injuries are completely avoidable. So, if you want to dramatically reduce your chances of your child needing extensive dental care, one of the best things you can do is help them take great care of their smile! That includes brushing twice a day, wearing a mouthguard during sports, and coming in for a checkup and cleaning twice a year.

How to Prevent Pediatric Dental Emergencies

young girl getting dental checkup in Copperas Cove

The best way to prevent a dental emergency in Copperas Cove is by helping your child take proper care of their smile. Keep in mind that it’s always best to instill good oral health habits early in life! That said, here are some tips to help your little one protect their pearly whites for years to come:

Schedule Routine Dental Checkups and Cleanings

dentist reviewing xray with child in treatment room

Remember, teens and adults aren’t the only ones who can get cavities; infants, toddlers, and young children can too! That’s why it’s so important to schedule a routine checkup and cleaning for your little one starting around their first birthday. This will allow us to periodically examine the condition of their teeth and gums, monitor the development of their wisdom teeth, and clear away harmful plaque and tartar.

Practice Regular Brushing and Flossing

woman filling out dental insurance form in lobby

In order to remove food particles, plaque, and bacteria, your child needs to brush and floss consistently. If they don’t, then they are vulnerable to numerous dental problems, including painful toothaches and chronic sensitivity. If you’re finding that motivating them to complete their oral hygiene regimen is difficult, do what you can to make it fun! That includes playing fun music, buying new oral hygiene products, and providing plenty of positive reinforcement.

Keep Added Sugar to a Minimum

dental assistant smiling while handing patient form

You may already know that candy, ice cream, soda, and other popular treats are packed with sugar. What you may not know, however, is sugar can wreak havoc on your child’s growing smile. For this reason, parents are encouraged to do their best to provide smile-friendly foods, like plain yogurt, oatmeal, and apples.

Note: They also shouldn’t chew on ice cubes since this can cause one or more of their teeth to crack, chip, or fracture!

Ask Your Child to Wear a Mouthguard When Playing Sports

child smiling in mirror after dental treatment

If your child is involved in sports like wrestling, soccer, or football, they need a mouthguard. In fact, even those who participate in non-contact and solo sports (i.e., running, biking, skateboarding) are encouraged to wear one to protect their teeth and gums from harm. If your child doesn’t currently have a mouthguard, don’t hesitate to reach out to us so we can have a custom one made.

Don’t Let Your Child Use Their Teeth as Tools

child smiling in mirror after dental treatment

Has your child developed a habit like biting their nails, using their teeth to remove plastic wrapping, or chewing on the back of their pencil while doing homework? If so, it’s important to redirect them before they wind up with a serious dental injury, like a cracked tooth.

Tip: If you’re not having luck breaking the habit, ask us for advice! We may have some recommendations based on what has worked for other patients.

Dental Emergency FAQs

How Should I Help My Child Sleep with Tooth Pain?

Helping children fall asleep is difficult under the best of circumstances, and when they have a toothache it can feel close to impossible.

One thing you can do to make this easier on your child is to elevate their head as they sleep. This prevents blood from rushing to their teeth, mitigating inflammation and swelling. You can also provide your child with over-the-counter pain medicine, though you should be sure to check the back of the bottle for the safe dose for children.

What Does Throbbing Tooth Pain Mean?

You would need to talk to a professional to know for sure what is causing your child’s toothache. However, throbbing, consistent tooth pain is typically the result of infection or inflammation in the root pulp. This can happen if your child has serious gum disease and tooth decay, or if their teeth have been damaged due to trauma.

Are Knocked-out Baby Teeth a Dental Emergency?

Baby teeth are meant to fall out, which means that it doesn’t typically count as a dental emergency. If a tooth gradually loosens and falls out in a way that seems natural, there isn’t all that much to worry about.

However, if a baby tooth is knocked out early, this could cause problems for the development of the permanent teeth later on. While not necessarily a dental emergency, it may still be worth bringing your child in to our office for an exam so that we can ensure that there aren’t any serious problems.

What Should I Keep in an Emergency Dentistry Kit?

If you want to keep your child safe in the case of a dental emergency, you might want to put together a kit containing everything they could need should the worst happen.

Here are a few things you might want to put in a kit like this:

  • Contact information for our dental practice
  • Sterile gloves, preferably nitrile
  • Gauze pads and dressings
  • Cotton balls
  • Dental cement or alternative temporary filling material
  • Denture adhesive
  • Petroleum jelly
  • Anti-inflammatory medication like ibuprofen
  • Topical anesthetic safe for children
  • Dental floss
  • Ice pack
  • Small storage container for teeth or restorations

Toothaches  

Is My Child's Toothache a Dental Emergency? If your child lets you know that they have a toothache (or you notice that they are experiencing pain when biting down), then you should schedule a time for them to come visit our kid’s emergency dentist in Copperas Cove. It’s always better to err on the side of caution, especially since a serious untreated oral health issue could be the cause.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Toothache There are a few additional measures you should take outside of scheduling an appointment with us, like asking your child to rinse periodically with warm saltwater. This will help keep their mouth clean and reduce the chances of an infection developing.

How We Treat Toothaches in Children Sometimes, toothaches are the result of a small cavity. Other times, they are the result of extensive decay. For that reason, how we intervene will depend entirely on your child’s unique dental needs. As always, we will review our findings with you after the exam so you are fully involved in deciding what’s best for your little one’s smile.

Cracked Tooth  

Is My Child's Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, even if the crack is small, a cracked tooth warrants an immediate call to our Copperas Cove dental team. Over the phone, we can learn more about what happened, schedule an appointment for your child, and provide you with tips on how to protect their tooth from further harm in the meantime.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Cracked Tooth A cracked tooth can be super scary for your child – and quite painful too! Try using a cold compress to temporarily numb the area and, if that doesn’t work, offer them an OTC pain reliever for kids. Naturally, your child should also avoid anything that has the potential to damage their tooth further, like chewing on that side of their mouth.

How We Treat Children's Cracked Teeth How we intervene depends on the severity of the damage. For example, if the crack is large enough that we need to extract the tooth, then we will carefully remove it before putting a space maintainer in its place.

Chipped Teeth  

Is My Child's Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? Since chipped teeth cannot regenerate, it’s important that you make an appointment for your child with our dental team within a day or two. If the chip is large or your child is in pain, then we recommend coming in sooner – perhaps the very same day!

How You Should Handle Your Child's Chipped Tooth If the tooth that’s chipped has a sharp edge, then it’s important to protect your child’s tongue and lips from harm. Fortunately, you can do so by simply placing some sugar-free gum or dental wax over the tooth.

How We Treat Children's Chipped Teeth Cosmetic bonding is one of the most common ways we treat chipped teeth. After all, the process is completely painless, there is a wide range of colors to choose from (ensuring no unwanted attention will be drawn to your child’s smile), and it’s affordable!

Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth  

Is A Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? Since there is only a finite amount of time where we can save your child’s tooth (about 60 minutes), the answer is “yes!” The best thing to do is call our Copperas Cove dental office right away so we can set aside time for them to come in for treatment.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth In addition to calling us, there is another step you should prioritize: finding your child’s tooth. If you have it, then place it in a container filled with milk or see if it will slide back into the socket without any force. This will help preserve the root of the tooth.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Permanent Teeth First, we will see if saving your child’s tooth is an option. If it isn’t, then we will need to explore their treatment options, which can include everything from a space maintainer to a dental bridge depending on their unique dental needs.

Knocked-Out Baby Tooth  

Is a Knocked-Out Baby Tooth a Dental Emergency? A knocked-out tooth always warrants a call to our Copperas Cove dental team. With that said, it may not require a same-day visit if your child isn’t in any pain and the tooth was already on the verge of falling out.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Baby Tooth If one of your child’s baby teeth was knocked out prematurely, call our office, find the tooth, store it somewhere safe (like a small, clean container), and have your child rinse their mouth with clean water.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Baby Teeth If a same-day visit is necessary, then we will quickly alleviate any discomfort they are feeling, conduct a thorough exam, and determine what the next best steps are. Oftentimes, that includes using a space maintainer to preserve the alignment of their bite until their permanent tooth comes in.

Bitten Tongue, Lip, or Cheek  

Is a Bitten Tongue, Lip, or Cheek an Emergency? It’s very common for parents to be shocked by the amount of blood that comes from a small soft tissue injury. Before you panic, follow the steps in the next section to assess the damage.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Soft Tissue Injury First, have your child rinse their mouth with clean, cool water over the sink. From there, find where the bleeding is stemming from, and use a damp washcloth to apply pressure to the area. The bleeding should stop within 10 minutes. At that point, use a cold compress to alleviate the swelling.

How We Treat Soft Tissue Injuries in Children We mentioned above that the bleeding should stop within 10 minutes. If it doesn’t, then you should take them to the ER.

Dental Concussion

Is My Child's Dental Concussion an Emergency? If your child’s tooth was knocked out of position, but it hasn’t completely fallen out, then getting to our Copperas Cove dental office should absolutely be a priority. That way, our kid’s emergency dentist can intervene while the tooth can still be saved.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Dental Concussion Dental injuries like this can be overwhelming for your child, so do your best to stay calm and call our office as soon as you can. Until your child’s appointment, have them rinse periodically with clean, room-temperature water to keep their mouth clean, and make sure they don’t chew on that side of their mouth.

How We Treat Dental Concussions in Children Oftentimes, we can use a dental splint to help the tooth heal back in place, saving it in the process. Other times, our only choice is to carefully (and painlessly) remove it before putting a space maintainer or dental bridge in its place.

Sensitive Teeth

Are My Child's Sensitive Teeth an Emergency? If your child took a sip of their drink before it cooled down or bit hard into something cold directly beforehand, then there’s likely nothing to be concerned about. If, however, their dental sensitivity persists or worsens, then it absolutely warrants a visit to our office.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Sensitive Teeth Outside of scheduling an exam with our kid’s emergency dentist, there’s really only one thing you can do: help them avoid things that could exacerbate their discomfort, like hot/cold foods and beverages.

How We Treat Sensitive Teeth in Children We won’t know the solution to the problem until we know the root. That’s why the exam is so important! Only then can we determine if a tooth-colored filling, dental crown, or something else entirely is the solution.

Lost Filling/Crown

Is My Child's Lost Filling or Crown an Emergency? It is! So, whether their restoration is slightly out of place or it has completely fallen out, we recommend bringing your child in for an exam and the necessary restorative care ASAP.

How You Should Handle Your Child's Lost Filling or Crown Keep your child’s restoration somewhere safe, encourage them to rinse periodically with clean, lukewarm water, and make sure they don’t do anything that could damage their tooth, like chewing crunchy foods.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns in Children One option is having the restoration replaced, which is usually what we recommend with dental fillings and old dental crowns. There are also some cases where we can re-cement their dental crown back in place. Ultimately, it depends on factors unique to their situation, including if the restoration is in good condition.

Something Stuck between Teeth

Is Having Something Stuck Between My Child's Teeth an Emergency? Usually, something stuck between your child’s teeth is not a dental emergency. That said, you’re welcome to reach out to us if you follow the below steps and the debris remains firmly lodged in place.

How You Should Handle Something Stuck Between Your Child's Teeth Instead of reaching for tweezers or another sharp object, have your child rinse with warm saltwater before using floss to remove the debris.