Tooth Avulsion First Aid: Act Fast but stay calm
On this Friday we are here with a hot topic of the week.
Unfortunately, kids getting a tooth knocked out is relatively common in the age group of 7 to 9 years and most often among boys, just when the permanent incisors have erupted and its completely formed. First aid and knowing what to do in the heat of a moment means a lot and makes the difference between saving the tooth or losing it.
Anything can cause a tooth to get knocked out but the common causes include participation in contact sports (especially if mouthguards aren’t being worn), playtime accidents and fights. When a tooth gets knocked out, it not only cause physical traumatic experience but also a very emotional experience for the child and others as well.
WHAT TO DO???
1.Stay calm and assure that the child is not getting anxious.
2.Pick up the tooth holding on the crown (white part of tooth).
3.Caution DO NOT touch the root.
4.If the tooth is dirty, rinse it BRIEFLY (10 seconds) under cold, running water.
5.Replant the tooth to where it was. Do it yourself or let your child do it. Don’t apply force when putting them back. Just use your fingers to reinsert it into the socket and have the child bite down on a handkerchief to keep the tooth in position.
If you can’t/won’t replant the tooth, store it in the following:
- 1.Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS, if you have it, some schools now-a-days do).
- 2.Milk
- 3.Saline
- 4.If the child is old and calm enough, use his/her mouth as the safest pocket for the tooth, between the molars and the inside of the cheek. This is not recommended if the child has the risk of swallowing the tooth.
- 5.Do not STORE IT IN WATER.
- 6.If the tooth is transported “dry,” (i.e. outside the mouth, without any of the above stated storage media), the chances of saving it goes down substantially.
Take your child to a pediatric dentist ASAP. Please do not delay. This is a true dental emergency.