Soft Tissue Mouth Trauma
Soft Tissue Mouth Trauma in Fort Collins, CO
The best way to determine whether soft tissue mouth trauma is an emergency, urgent, or a problem that will generally take care of itself, is to contact your dentist. A dentist in Fort Collins, CO will be experienced at providing parents with information about their child’s specific injury. Every injury and every child are different. So contact Big Grins Pediatric Dentistry today for a consultation.
What Is Soft Tissue Mouth Trauma?
Soft tissue mouth trauma is when any of the soft tissues in your child’s mouth are injured. The soft tissues include the lips, gums, tongue, hard palate, cheeks, and the floor of the mouth. These soft tissues are made up of blood vessels, so when they are injured, they bleed easily and excessively.
What Are the Symptoms of a Soft Tissue Mouth Injury?
The most common symptoms of a soft tissue mouth injury include bleeding, cuts on the lip(s), puncture wounds, lacerations, or cuts to the tissue flaps.
What Injuries Cause Soft Tissue Mouth Injuries?
Soft tissue mouth injuries can be caused by just about anything. However, the most common causes are sports injuries, vehicle accidents, biting down on hard foods or candies, impacts to the face that knock teeth loose from the gums, brushing too vigorously, and even braces can sometimes make your child more vulnerable to soft tissue mouth injuries.
What to Do If Your Child Has a Soft Tissue Mouth Injury?
First, rinse your child’s mouth thoroughly with lukewarm salt water or an antiseptic mouthwash. If the bleeding continues, apply a damp piece of gauze to the injured area for about 15 minutes or so. To help with the pain, bleeding, and swelling, apply an ice pack to the injured area for 10 minutes. If the bleeding doesn’t stop within a few minutes, your child’s soft tissue mouth trauma might be a more serious injury. If that’s the case, please contact your dentist immediately. You should continue to apply pressure to the affected area until your child is examined and treated.
Repairing Soft Tissue Mouth Trauma in Your Child’s Mouth
Your dentist will immediately examine your child’s mouth to discover the extent of the injury. Then, the affected area will be thoroughly cleaned to remove any dirt and debris. The child’s mouth will then be disinfected to prevent infection. If necessary, the dentist will use sedation techniques before administering stitches to close the wound and to help stop the bleeding. However, stitches are usually not necessary.
How to Prevent Soft Tissue Mouth Trauma
The prevention of soft tissue mouth trauma in Fort Collins, CO is a matter of helping your child to be mindful of everyday behaviors. Teach your children to eat slowly and carefully, especially when eating things like popcorn. Remind your children about biting into hard candies and not to eat ice. Make sure children who participate in sports always wear the proper head and mouth protection. And lastly, teach your children how to brush their teeth and gums properly by using gentle pressure and an extra-soft bristle toothbrush. Your dentist can help with teaching your children how to brush properly as well.
What’s Next?
If you would like to inquire about any of our dental services for kids in Fort Collins, CO, please Contact Big Grins Pediatric Dentistry today. We look forward to serving you!
