What To Do When Your Child Knocks Out a Tooth

If your child has just taken a tumble and knocked out a tooth, it can be a scary and stressful time. But don’t fear- there are a few key steps to take in order to ensure that the tooth can be saved and your child can feel safe again. By understanding what to do when your child knocks out a tooth, you will be better prepared for this potentially frightening situation.

How a Children Knocks Out a Tooth

The most common way that children knock out teeth is by tripping or falling. This can happen when playing sports, running around, or even just walking down the hallway. It’s important to be mindful of your child’s environment and make sure they are taking proper safety precautions when engaging in physical activities.

What To Do When Your Child Knocks Out a Tooth

Because time is critical for saving the tooth, report this injury right when it happens to a member of our dental team. Since neighboring teeth can sustain injuries, you want to make sure there is no damage to them. Because it is possible to re-implant a lost permanent tooth, the following steps are pivotal.

Here’s what to do:

• Find the lost tooth. Try not to touch the roots, only touch the crown of the tooth
• Carefully clean the tooth with water without scrubbing or scraping
• Gently reinsert the tooth to its original location or ask the child to keep the tooth in their mouth against their cheek while you travel to our Li’l Sunshine Smiles office–only attempt this with older children. Younger children run the risk of swallowing the tooth. With younger children, you can place the tooth in milk or saliva until you reach our office.
• Keep the tooth moist while you are on the way to our office. Moisture is key for re-implantation success.
• If it is after hours and you are unable to contact a member of our team, do not wait. Take your child to the emergency room to save the tooth. The chances of re-implantation success are greatly reduced after one hour.

What Your Dentist Will Do

Your dentist will ensure that the socket is ready for re-implantation. The root surface of the tooth may need to be treated prior to reinsertion. The dentist will also check surrounding teeth for any fractures or other damage. If there is damage, your child may need a crown or further treatment can occur at a later date. Further treatment may also depend on the age of your child and the type of tooth that was knocked out.

Once in place, the dentist may splint the tooth to adjacent teeth with a bandage or wire for 3-4 weeks. At Li’l Sunshine Smiles, we like to use a special kind of wire called ‘biocompatible wire’ that encourages tissue growth and healing. Your child may need to wear a custom guard or splint for several months after the re-implantation process is complete.

Is it Important to Try and Save Baby Teeth?

If your child knocks out a baby tooth, this often isn’t a dangerous emergency and no treatment will be necessary, but call our office for a consultation during business hours. Typically, our dentist may recommend space maintainers to prevent the adult tooth from entering too early if it is a front tooth that has been knocked out.

Space maintainers reserve a place in your child’s mouth after a baby (primary) tooth falls out before it should. Because of the importance of baby teeth, early tooth loss can impact your child’s tooth alignment. However, space maintainers can serve as the lost tooth to allow adult teeth to grow in as they should.

Protect Your Child’s Smile with Proper Dental Hygiene

It is important to practice proper dental hygiene in order to help your child avoid tooth loss as much as possible. This includes brushing and flossing twice a day, avoiding sticky and sugary snacks, and scheduling regular checkups with our Li’l Sunshine Smiles team. All of these steps help keep the teeth healthy and can prevent major dental trauma.

Make an Appointment with Li’l Sunshine Smiles

If your child does suffer from a dental injury, don’t hesitate to turn to our team for help. We understand how traumatic this experience can be and will do everything in our power to save the tooth and get your little one back to smiling once again. Contact us today if you have any questions or would like advice on what to do in the event of a dental emergency. With our help, you can rest assured that your child will get the care they need for a healthy and beautiful smile!