Dealing with a Child’s Knocked-Out Tooth

While a knocked-out permanent tooth is a dental emergency, if you know what to do and act quickly, there is a good chance that your child’s tooth can be saved. Here’s how to properly handle the situation.

Time Is Ticking

First, make sure your child is otherwise all right—no concussion or severe face injury, for example. Pick up the tooth by the chewing edge, or crown, not by the root, which is the part of the tooth below the gums.¹ Rinse off the tooth if it’s dirty, but do not scrub or remove any tissue fragment. If your child will tolerate it, gently put the tooth back firmly in its spot. If possible, have the child hold it or bite gently on a gauze pad to keep it in place.²

If you can’t put the tooth back, place it in a clean container and cover it with milk or saline solution—a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water—to keep it from drying out.³ Take your child¾and the tooth¾to the dentist as soon as possible, ideally within 30 minutes.⁴ The quicker you act, the better chance that the tooth can be reimplanted.⁵

Put Prevention First

Injuries to your child’s mouth and teeth can be avoided. These tips can ensure a healthy smile for your youngster:

• Make sure your child wears a mouth guard when playing any contact sport.⁶

• Childproof your home to prevent falls.⁵

• Buckle young children into the appropriate car seat or booster seat for their ages. Insist on seat belts for older children and teens whenever traveling in a motor vehicle.⁵

^{1 “}Medical Encyclopedia: Broken or Knocked Out Tooth.” U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, February 22,2010. www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000058.htm Accessed 2010.

² “Dental Emergencies.” American Dental Association. http://www.ada.org/370.aspx Accessed 2010.

³ “AGD Fact Sheet: Dental Emergencies.”Academy of General Dentistry. http://www.agd.org/public/OralHealthFacts/files/pdfgenerator.aspx?pdf=FS_DentalEmergencies_Oct07.pdf Accessed 2010.

⁴ “Saving a Knocked-Out Tooth.” American Association of Endodontists. http://www.aae.org/patients/patientinfo/references/avulsed.htm Accessed 2010.

⁵ “Emergency Care.”American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. http://www.aapd.org/publications/brochures/ecare.aspAccessed 2010.

⁶ “AGD Fact Sheet Dental Emergencies 2: Uh Oh!” Academy of General Dentistry. http://www.agd.org/public/OralHealthFacts/files/pdfgenerator.aspx?pdf=FS_DentalEmergencies_Oct07.pdf  Accessed 2010.