Dental trauma can be scary, especially when it involves your child. Knowing what to do in case of an emergency can help ease some of that anxiety.
First things first—stay calm! Assess your child for any other injuries, especially those involving the head or neck, which may warrant a visit to the emergency room.
Next—call your pediatric dentist! One of the many reasons why establishing a dental home early is so important is knowing who to call in case of an emergency. A traumatic dental injury is scary enough, so already being comfortable with a pediatric dentist and the office environment will help alleviate some of the fear and anxiety associated with an already stressful situation.
There are many types of traumatic dental injuries, such as fracturing or displacing teeth, fracturing an alveolar bone, and soft tissue injuries like contusions, lacerations, and abrasions. The treatment and prognosis of these injuries depend on whether the tooth is a primary (“baby”) tooth or a permanent tooth. One of the most critical injuries involving permanent teeth is avulsion—when a tooth gets knocked out.
Here’s what to do if your child’s permanent tooth gets knocked out:
- First, make sure it’s a permanent tooth. Baby teeth should NOT be re-implanted.
- Locate the tooth and carefully pick it up by the crown. Avoid touching the root.
- If the tooth is dirty (because let’s face it—most of these injuries occur on a baseball field or playground), gently rinse it in milk, saline, or the patient’s saliva. Do NOT scrub the root.
- Immediately place the tooth back in the socket. This is the most critical step! The sooner the tooth is placed back in the socket, the better the prognosis.
- Once the tooth returns to its original position, have the child bite on gauze to hold it in place.
- If you are not able to immediately reimplant the tooth, quickly place the tooth in milk, Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution or “Save-A-Tooth” (most school or sports complex first aid kits should have this available; you can also purchase online), a cup of the patient’s saliva, or saline. Water is not ideal, but is better than the tooth staying dry.
- Immediately get to the dentist. Time is of the essence when dealing with permanent tooth avulsion.
Keeping your trusted pediatric dentist on speed dial can be helpful in case of a dental emergency.
To schedule an appointment today with Roots Pediatric Dentistry please call 337-234-2349. To stay in the know of all things pediatric dentistry follow us on Facebook by clicking here.
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