If Your Child Loses
A Tooth in An Accident

Stay Calm. Sudden loss of a tooth can be traumatic for both you and your child. Try to stay calm and soothe your child.

Keep It Clean. Injuries to the mouth often cause a lot of bleeding. This can make the injury look worse than it really is. Once your child is calm, clean the area of the injury.

Call Your Pediatric Dentist. Your child’s dentist will have some good advice and will likely ask you to assess whether the tooth is a baby or permanent tooth.

Is it a Baby Tooth?

Dentists generally do not re-implant baby teeth, even in case of trauma. Use this as an opportunity to welcome the tooth fairy.

If a baby tooth was chipped but did not come out entirely, your pediatric dentist will advise whether you should bring your child in for an exam.

Is it a Permanent Tooth?

If your child lost a permanent tooth, your pediatric dentist will want to try to re-implant it. This is a time-sensitive emergency.

First, find the tooth

Call your dentist right away.

Place the tooth in a container or ziplock bag that is filled with either saliva or milk.

If a container is not available, you may preserve the tooth by keeping it in your own mouth. Be careful not to put the tooth back in your child’s mouth as he or she may swallow it.

If you are unable to preserve the tooth in saliva or milk, the tooth may still be re-implanted if your child gets to the dentist within an hour.

As a tip for parents who like to be very prepared, Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution is the best medium to store a knocked-out tooth. Buy a bottle and keep it around for emergencies.

Eytan Chen, DMD, Dr. Eytan is a pediatric dentist who recently opened a state of the art pediatric dentistry practice called Growing Smiles of Englewood.

By Dr. Eytan Chen