What To Do When Your Child Knocks Out A Tooth?

Children are prone to getting their teeth bumped, loosened or knocked out because of how active they are. As they learn to walk, it is common for them to fall and hit their mouths or even get hurt. Although it is rare for them to experience severe damage, there is always a chance of a bump to their oral cavity causing a broken or chipped tooth. The older and more active your child, the higher chances of them knocking out their entire tooth.

What to Do When Your Toddler’s Front Teeth Are Knocked Out?

If your child’s front teeth are knocked out, you need to act quickly. Usually, you need to see your dentist within the next 1-2 hours. The first thing to do is to look around for the tooth or the broken-off fragment. If you can find the tooth, that’s great. If not, that is not the end of the world. Once you locate the tooth, here are some options that will follow:

1. You can store the knocked-out tooth in a sealed container or a zip-top bag. Ensure that you submerge the entire tooth in liquid. The best options are contact solution, milk or saline. You can use tap water tht has a pinch of salt if you do not have any of them.
2. If the tooth is completely knocked-out in one peace, with the root still attached, you can try putting the tooth back into your child’s socket. However, this option isn’t appropriate if you are dealing with a squirmy child who might swallow their tooth or a baby tooth where its root is already starting to resorb/shrink. If this is the case, then use option one.

Call the dental office immediately so they can arrange to see you at the pediatric dental clinic  or provide instructions on what you can do while at home. Depending on the fracture’s severity, they may guide you through home care and see you within the next few days.

Since dental trauma can knock your child’s teeth loos, monitoring them over the next couple of weeks is necessary. However, signs of a dying nerve or abscess may not appear until some time. If they show, then the dentist at Smiles pediatric dentistry may opt to treat, monitor or remove the baby teeth so that it does not damage the adult one underneath.

What to Do When a Permanent Tooth Is Knocked Out or Loose?

When your child’s permanent tooth s knocked out, you have to think about the future of your child’s smile. Everyone relies on their permanent teeth to speak and chew, so losing one can seriously affect their daily activities and confidence. The extra space created by the knocked-out teeth can also lead to orthodontic complications.

Any time your child has knocked out or loose permanent chipped teeth, you need to call your dentist. Threatening a knocked out or lost permanent tooth requires timely attention to avoid serious side effects.

When this happens to your child’s permanent tooth should first locate the tooth. If it is a fragment, place it in a glass of milk or, as explained above. Then take it with you to your pediatric dental office in Kennewick, WA, within the next hour to see if your dentist can bind the broken piece back to your child’s teeth. If it’s the whole tooth with its root intact, gently rinse off any debris, ensuring that you do not scrub or touch the root surface. Only handle it by the crown, the white part. And at this point, you can:

1. Store the  knocked out tooth in a sealed container with saline or milk covering the whole surface
2. and attempt to re-insert the tooth root back into its socket. Please do not force it. If the tooth does not go back in, revert to option one.

Once you get to Family Dental Centre, the best kids’ dental, your pediatric dentist will evaluate the extent of the damage and discuss the treatment plan. They can try to re-insert the tooth back and use an adjacent tooth as a point to stabilize it as it reintegrates with your bone. Otherwise, the dentist may perform a root canal to avoid losing the teeth completely.