Kids have a sense of adventure that cannot be matched by many. This fearless attitude has the potential to get them into trouble on occasion. While having a baby tooth knocked out through rough housing isn’t ideal, doing so with a permanent tooth is far worse. Learn what to do if your child loses a permanent tooth, ensuring as little damage as possible will be done.
Calm Your Child
Losing a tooth in such a forceful way can be traumatic for a young child. Make sure before anything else to calm them down and remain calm yourself. It will do no good for you to overreact to the situation, even if you yourself are frightened or upset. Talk in a soothing voice to your child, finding out the extent of the injuries. Once your child has calmed down a bit, you can begin to take action.
Find the Tooth
Find where the tooth has ended up after being knocked out. In some cases it can be replaced in your child’s mouth. Once you do find the tooth, do not pick it up by the root. Grab the tooth by the crown and clean it gently with water. Don’t use soap or excessive force. Keep it in a safe cool container until you can make a dental appointment. Some people choose to keep it in a container of cold milk to prevent further damage from occurring. The important thing is to not touch the root of the tooth.
Get to the Dentist
As soon as everything is under control schedule an appointment for your child at the dentist. This should be done immediately to increase the chance of saving the tooth. From here the dentist will carefully wash and attempt to replace the tooth. A splint will be employed to try and secure the tooth back into place. Teeth that are put back in their spot with enough time to spare will allow the nerves and blood vessels that are present here to grow back from the jaw and replace the damage.
Even if you don’t make it in time to save your child’s tooth, it is better to schedule a dental appointment as soon as possible. The dentist will be able to wash the jaw and assess the damage. The sooner a replacement can be made, the better it will be for your child’s health and their smile.
Kids often play rough, and as a result may come away with a few injuries. If your child knocks out one of their teeth, especially if it is a permanent one, make sure to take the steps necessary. Even if you can’t save the tooth, it is best to get the gap taken care of sooner rather than later for aesthetic reasons, and to help the other teeth grow in straight.
