Emergency Pediatric Dentist – Katy, TX
Immediate Help for Young Smiles in Need
As a parent, you know that accidents can happen in a split second, sometimes when you least expect them. At Happy Chompers Pediatric Dentistry, we recommend that you save our number in your phone so that you can call our emergency pediatric dentist in Katy right away if you find yourself in the middle of a dental emergency. You do not want to postpone getting treatment because the problem will only get worse with time. Our team is happy to help get your child back to full oral health as quickly as possible, and you can depend on Dr. A to provide gentle care for your loved one.
Why Choose Happy Chompers Pediatric Dentistry for Emergency Dental Care?
Open on Saturdays for Emergency Care
Most Dental Insurance Plans Accepted
Multiple Sedation Methods Available
How We Treat Dental Emergencies
- As soon as you get in touch with our office, we’ll get you scheduled for an appointment right away. Ideally, we’ll get your child seen the same day. Our office is open on Saturdays as well, so don’t be afraid to call!
- After you reach our office in person, our front desk will check you and your child in, then get them to a dental chair so Dr. A can examine their emergency issue. This process may involve digital X-rays if the issue cannot be easily viewed or we need to find the exact source of their emergency. Our top priority is getting them out of dental discomfort.
- Upon completion of the exam, Dr. A will discuss his findings with you and your child, then recommend treatments based on these findings. He will also go over the costs and timeline of your child’s custom treatment plan.
- Common treatments for pediatric dental emergencies include dental fillings, pulp therapy, tooth extractions, or another service if needed.
The Most Common Dental Emergencies
We encourage you to stay calm and give our office a call even if you’re not sure if what your child is experiencing is a dental emergency. After you’ve called us for an emergency appointment, you’ll have to deal with the situation until you can get your child to our dental office. Our team can provide specific advice over the phone, but here are some general tips to keep in mind to increase the odds of successful treatment.
Toothaches
Chipped Tooth
Cracked Tooth
Sensitivity to Hot & Cold
Knocked-Out Tooth
Lost Filling or Crown
Broken Denture
Loose Tooth
Gums, Lips or Tongue Injury
Jaw Pain or Clenching
Something Stuck Between Teeth
Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies
Just like your child is unique, their dental emergency will differ from the next kid’s as well. Depending on the situation, they might need a little filling or maybe a more complex treatment. Regardless, you can depend on Happy Chompers Pediatric Dentistry to give your child the care they need to recover their oral health. If you have questions about the cost, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team. We’ll happily explain your insurance benefits and do what we can to give you savings.
How to Prevent Dental Emergencies
As children grow and learn, they can experience some bumps—literally—along the way, whether from clumsy accidents or questionable choices. Although our team at Happy Chompers Pediatric Dentistry can provide the emergency and restorative treatments necessary to get your child back on track following dental damage, wouldn’t you much prefer avoiding these stressful situations from the beginning? In addition to regular checkups and cleanings at our office, below we share ways that you can prevent harm from befalling your child’s smile as they develop.
We strongly recommend starting to implement healthy dental habits into your child’s daily routine at an early age. As soon as your child’s first tooth arrives, bacteria and food particles can form plaque, which can erode the tooth enamel and cause decay. While your child is unable to brush on their own, you must do it for them.
As they learn this skill for themselves, your child may struggle to effectively clean all the surfaces of their teeth. The molars are particularly challenging for young children, who are still developing the necessary dexterity. As a result, cavities can form on these teeth, potentially causing your child pain or embarrassment. You will likely still need to supervise their morning and evening brushing during this time to make sure they are using proper technique, but that doesn’t mean this daily task needs to be tedious or boring! Make it a fun, positive experience through playing music, brushing your own teeth to serve as a model, and using floss to get rid of “sugar bugs” between their teeth.
Although basically every child has a sweet tooth, it is important to put a limit on their sugar consumption both for their dental as well as their overall health. The oral bacteria that cause infections and decay thrive on sugar, increasing your child’s chances of experiencing cavities. Additionally, hard foods, such as chips, hard candy, and more can put too much stress and pressure on their teeth, leading to cracks or breakage in the tooth enamel.
Is your child involved in sports? Just as you wouldn’t send your loved one out onto the football field without a helmet to protect their head, you shouldn’t leave their teeth unprotected! Any activity that could result in an impact to the face could lead to a broken, knocked-out, or chipped tooth. A simple mouthguard can effectively absorb the blow and preserve their teeth. Although you can find generic mouthguards at any sports store, these are created to be one-size-fits-all, meaning they are often uncomfortable and slip out of place. At Happy Chompers, Dr. A can provide a custom mouthguard to fit perfectly and stay exactly where it needs to in order to keep your child’s smile safe.
When your child is opening packaging for a snack or prying something off, don’t allow them to use their teeth. Over time, this bad habit can wear down the enamel and make a dental emergency more likely to happen. Instead, have them find scissors or whatever tool is needed so that they can keep their teeth strong.
Dental Emergency FAQ’s
Do you know what to do if your child is suddenly facing a dental emergency? From falling off a bike to a throbbing toothache to a hard hit on the football field, your emergency pediatric dentist in Katy wants you to be prepared and feel confident in how you handle these types of situations. As always, you’ll want to call our office first to alert us to the crisis. Based on the information provided, we will be able to determine if you should bring your child in immediately. But until you’re able to make it to our office for treatment, we’ve compiled some frequently asked questions that might help give you better peace of mind when accidents happen. Should you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Should you notice that the bleeding is not ceasing, swelling is not going down, or your child is complaining of increased pain, you’ll want to get them in to see us as soon as possible. If their jaw is fractured or broken, get them to an emergency room for immediate medical attention.
It’s best that you and your child understand that dental emergencies do not “fix themselves,” so even if it doesn’t seem serious, give us a call and let us determine if it’s a real crisis or not.
Yes, at Happy Chompers Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. A is happy to provide various methods of sedation dentistry to ensure your child is calm and comfortable while we examine and treat their dental emergency. The types of sedation we offer include:
- Nitrous Oxide Sedation
- Oral Conscious Sedation
- IV Sedation
- General Anesthesia
- Hospital/OR Anesthesia
Should Dr. A believe it necessary, he will discuss various sedation options when you and your child arrive at our office.
It’s always best to err on the side of caution and get your child in immediately if pain is persistent. Providing them with an over-the-counter pain reliever that is age-appropriate should help to alleviate some discomfort; however, if the pain remains and begins to increase, you’ll want to call us to schedule an appointment sooner rather than later. It could be anything from lodged food that is stuck between teeth or decay that has reached the inner layer of the tooth and requires pulp therapy in order to remedy the problem.
Only Dr. A will be able to tell if the problem is more severe than originally believed.
Let’s face it: dental emergencies can happen at any time, any place. That means, even while you and your family are enjoying a nice, relaxing beach vacation, problems can still arise, making it difficult to know what to do. Should your child come to you with a serious dental problem, find a dentist in the area who can look at the issue and treat it immediately. Once you are back in town, make sure to call our office and alert us to the situation. We will have you bring your child in for a quick examination. Dr. A will then determine if additional treatment or care is necessary.
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