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Emergency Care

Here When You Need Us

Dr. Lentfer understands that emergencies happen and you may need access to a dentist right away. We strive to accommodate all dental emergencies and treat some of the most common ones, listed below.

Bumped Baby Tooth

  • If your child bumps their baby tooth, often there is no treatment needed. If the baby tooth is still in “normal” position, there may be bleeding around the gums and the tooth may be a little wiggly. If this occurs, Dr. Lentfer recommends a soft diet for 7-10 days and keep the area clean to allow proper healing. The tooth may start to turn brown, yellow, purple or pink. Sometimes the tooth will return to white but often stays a different color. This is not a concern unless pain or infection present.

Cracked Baby Tooth

  • Often times children will fall and chip their teeth. This is of concern if the nerve is exposed (a small red dot is visible) or the chipped part is causing trauma to your child’s soft tissues. Often times we watch the small chips and smooth them as needed. If the nerve is exposed, your child will need to be evaluated by Dr. Lentfer to discuss options.

Knocked Out Baby Tooth

  • NEVER PUT A KNOCKED OUT BABY TOOTH BACK INTO THE MOUTH! Re-implanting a baby tooth is never indicated as it can lead to an infection that can cause harm to your child.
  • If your child knocked out their baby tooth, there is nothing we can do to save it. You must make sure you can find the knocked out tooth to rule out aspiration (when the tooth goes into your child’s lungs) If you cannot find the tooth, go to urgent care and they will likely take a chest x-ray to rule out aspiration.

Toothache

  • If your child complains of a toothache, there can be a number of reasons for the pain. First you want to look in the mouth and evaluate what tooth is hurting your child. If there is any food stuck in the tooth, clean it out. If there is a swelling next to the tooth, your child may require antibiotics. Dr. Lentfer will want to speak with you and evaluate your child’s need and treat accordingly.

Bumped Permanent Tooth

  • A bumped permanent tooth can be as small as a bruise to something as large as a bone fracture or broken root of the tooth. If the tooth is bumped and appears to be in the same position as it was before the trauma, often there is minimal treatment that will be indicated but Dr. Lentfer would like to see you when the office is open. If the bumped tooth appears to have shifted, this may need immediate attention and it is recommended to call Dr. Lentfer.

Cracked Permanent Tooth

  • A cracked permanent tooth can be urgent but most often is not in need of immediate attention. The greatest concern is if the nerve is exposed. Because the tooth is sensitive to temperatures does not mean the nerve is exposed. If you can see a red spot in the area where the tooth is fractured, this may require more urgent attention. Cracked permanent teeth can often be repaired with a filling but sometimes require root canal therapy.

Knocked Out Permanent Tooth

  • If your child suffers a fully knocked out permanent tooth, gently hold the tooth by the crown (the part of the tooth you can see in the mouth) and lightly rinse any debris off the root (the part that is in the bone/gums) with water and place back in the socket. Call Dr. Lentfer immediately. If you are unable to place the tooth in the socket immediately, place the tooth in Hanks Balanced Salt Solution, aka Save a Tooth, or in milk. The longer the tooth is out of the mouth, the higher the risk the tooth will not be able to be saved.

When to Call Dr. Lentfer

  • If your child suffered a trauma or is in pain, please feel free to call the office and you will be directed to Dr. Lentfer’s after hours phone. Dr. Lentfer shares on call with fellow pediatric dentists in Eugene. Dr. Lentfer or the on call pediatric dentist will get back to you as soon as possible and provide after hours care as indicated
  • If you don’t hear from Dr. Lentfer or the on call pediatric dentist in a timely manor, OHSU Pediatric Dental Residency in Portland has a pediatric dental resident available thru their emergency room 24/7. This is recommended as a very last resort for care.
  • If your child suffered a head trauma, go to the emergency room. Your child will need to be cleared of a concussion or other head trauma by a medical doctor prior to treatment for dental care. If a permanent tooth was knocked out, re-implant it immediately (see above).

What Our Patients Say

“Best dental experience of my life! Dr Lentfer is incredibly kind, full of knowledge and every member of her staff that I have encountered have been a dream!”

-Alaina

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