My child just knocked their tooth out, what should I do?
The first step is to not panic and remain calm! Check if your child has suffered any trauma elsewhere, for example to their head, spine, face that are more of a priority and require urgent medical assistance.
After this, it is important to assess if the tooth is a baby or adult tooth.
If your child has knocked their baby tooth out, do NOT replant the tooth. Only supportive care is required. It would be ideal to see your dentist for a review regardless.
On the other hand, if an adult “big” tooth has been knocked out, then timing is crucial for the survival of the tooth, so quickly find the tooth and hold it by carefully avoiding touching the root of the tooth. Rinse the tooth with saline or milk and replant the tooth ideally within two minutes and seek immediate dental treatment. If you are unable to replant the tooth, store in saline, milk or saliva and seek immediate dental treatment.
The survival of the tooth will depend on the time the tooth was knocked out, how the tooth was stored as well as the stage of development of the tooth. Numerous review appointments will be required for the dentist to assess the success of replanting the tooth.
Remember the key is to not panic!
For more information please call us on (08) 8382 5777 to book an emergency appointment as we always set aside some availabilities for emergency dental treatments each day.