Every year accidents happen especially while playing sport. In many of these situations, teeth can be traumatized or get knocked out.

While a dentist should evaluate any trauma to the mouth and teeth as soon as possible the most time critical injury is when a tooth is completely knocked out.

If the tooth that has been knocked out is a baby tooth, it should not be reimplanted. You should try to find the tooth if possible and take the child and the tooth to see the dentist as soon as practical.

If an adult (permanent) tooth is knocked out, you need to follow a few simple steps to improve the chance the dentist can save the tooth.

  • You need to try to find the tooth. Only hold it by the top of the tooth (crown of the tooth), which is the smooth white part that you can see when it is in your mouth.
  • Ensure the tooth is clean. The person who has lost the tooth can quickly suck it to remove any dirt or if and when possible, the preferred method of cleaning the tooth would be to rinse it in some milk. Do not scrub the tooth or remove any tissue (gum) from the tooth. You must only rinse the tooth with a minimum about of handling.
  • If the tooth is still in one piece, within the first 30 minutes the best thing that you can do is stick the tooth back into the hole (socket) it came out from. Take care to place correctly, in line with the other teeth and how it looked before the accident. Once the tooth is back in the mouth you need to stabilise it to prevent it from moving around in the socket. You can do this by softly biting on some soft cotton or gauze.
  • If you are unable to put the tooth back in the socket it is VITAL you keep the tooth moist. DO NOT let the tooth dry out, store the tooth in a clean cup or container of milk. If milk is not available and the patient is old enough, you can keep the tooth in the mouth against the cheek till you get to the dentist.

SEE THE DENTIST ASAP AS TIME IS CRITICAL. AFTER 1 HOUR OUT OF THE SOCKET THE CHANCE OF SUCCESSFUL REIMPLANTATION IS VIRTUALLY ZERO.

To prevent dental emergencies, it is helpful to wear a mouthguard, especially while playing contact sport. Speak to us about making a custom mouthguard for the best protection.