Dealing with a Child's Toothache
The inevitable toothache; a moment all new parents are bound to experience. It’s a difficult thing to deal with, especially because young children aren’t great at dealing with pain or expressing it. What’s worse is it’s difficult to know the cause. A toothache in a child can be caused by a number of factors including incoming teeth, cavities, plaque buildup, tooth decay, or even trapped food, which can sometimes be mitigated with a special toothbrush for special needs. The hard part is dealing with the toothache. How do you help? Here are a few things you can do to help if your child has a toothache.
Try To Find Out What’s Wrong
Since there can be so many different causes of a toothache, the first thing you should do is try to figure out what’s wrong. If your child is old enough to speak, try asking them questions to figure out the source of the pain. Ask if they can specify where the pain is coming from so you can figure out which tooth is causing problems. Check their mouth to see if anything looks unusual like a loose or or broken tooth.
Check For Food By Flossing
A possible cause of a toothache is food stuck between the teeth. Gums can be very sensitive especially at a young age, and there are some foods that are more likely to hurt teeth than others, and can even lead to tooth decay. To learn more about childhood tooth decay, check out our piece on preventing cavities in kids.The best thing you can do is get some floss and help your child gently floss any food out that’s in between their teeth.
Clean Out The Mouth
If the problem is bacterial or some food stuck somewhere, rinsing out the mouth can help. Put salt in warm water and mix it up. This can be used to rinse out your child’s mouth. Recommended rinsing time is about 30 seconds.
Pain Relief
If all else fails, or you’ve narrowed the problem down and it’s not food, basic children’s pain medication is the best option. Simple over-the-counter pain relief medications like ibuprofen or children’s aspirin should be more than enough to help subside the pain.
An alternative topical option is clove oil, this can be applied directly to the afflicted area and act as an anti-bacterial and help soothe the pain.
The Dentist
Last but certainly not least, if you can’t figure out what’s wrong or how to help your child then you should seek out their dentist immediately. It’s possible that the toothache is something more serious than some food being stuck, and could be tooth decay or a cavity.
Consider investing in an AutoBrush for Kids to help keep your child’s oral hygiene in top forms at all times.
Never take chances when it comes to your child’s health and remember to take the necessary precautions when they are experiencing a toothache.
