Dr Dental – Children and Dental Injuries
What to do when a Toddler Injures their teeth or gums. Accidents happen, toddlers who are learning to walk may fall, young kids playing a sport may take a ball to the mouth. What is important is knowing what to do and being prepared. If your child baby tooth gets dislodged then it can not be replaced and does not need to be put back in.
However you will want to consult a dentist to see if a space maintainer is advised. Baby teeth that come out too soon may need a space maintainer to avoid other teeth from shifting. If your child knocks out a permanent tooth the quick action is advise. A permanent tooth has the best change of survival if replaced with in the first 30 minutes.
When a permanent tooth is knocked out always hold the tooth by the crown and not the root. Do not rinse the tooth with tap water. If necessary use milk to rinse the tooth. Then whenever possible put the tooth back in the tooth socket. Do this only if your child is old enough not to swallow the tooth. If the tooth can not be reinserted in the tooth socket then put the tooth in a glass of milk and see a dentist ASAP. You may want to know ahead of time what your dentist office hours are and if you can come in for emergency at any time.