No matter how hard they try, parents can’t protect their children from everything. Children play – and sometimes that play can lead to a broken tooth or knocked out tooth. Would you know what to do if this happened to your son or daughter? Dentists at St. Joseph Dentistry have some important tips to remember if your child has an injured tooth.
- First, locate the broken part of the tooth immediately.
- Place the tooth between their lower lip and gum while you wait to see your dentist. That is the cleanest and best environment if you are looking to save the tooth.
- Do not scrub it or store the tooth in tap water! There are a lot of important cells on the tooth. If you scrub the tooth, or place it in water you dramatically worsen the chance of the tooth being saved.
- Worried Your Child Will Swallow the Tooth? Stick it in a little dixie cup and put the cup into a ziplock bag that contains spit. If that isn’t readily available, putting the tooth into a small cup of milk will do. You can also prepare ahead of time by keeping The American Dental Association recommended product, Save·A·Tooth, on hand – which studies show can increase the survival rate of a broken or injured tooth, when used as directed.
When these conditions are met, your dentist can often re-implant and save the tooth for your child.
