Save That Tooth

Is your child into contact sports? Then there’s a very good chance that he/she could lose a tooth during a tough game. Fortunately quick and proper action can still help save it.

Take Action: Rinse the tooth but not in tap water or bottled water. This can kill the tooth quite quickly. The best thing is to rinse it in the child’s saliva, or if that is not practical, rinse it in Milk. Then put it back into the socket and try to get the child to keep it in place by keeping their mouth closed and minimising movement of their tongue. Or if that won’t work, see if they can keep it under their tongue. If they are too young or too distressed to cope with either of these options (you might be afraid they’ll swallow the tooth for example) then put the tooth in some milk or saliva, or wrapped in a cloth soaked in milk or saliva.
Get them to a dentist within 30 minutes.
If their gum is bleeding, apply gentle pressure with a clean gauze, clean hankie, or clean tissue.
If it is a baby-tooth, there may not be such a compelling reason to save it. But if it is a second tooth, there’s every reason to make the best possible effort to save it.