Dental First Aid for the Knocked Out Tooth

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Many people play and appreciate physical games, particularly kids. Football, soccer, basketball, hockey and cricket are exceptionally famous. In these games, the risk of being hit in the mouth by bats, balls or even body parts is very high. However, a many people who play these sports do not actually wear mouthguards, which spots mouths and teeth places. Sometimes teeth are knocked out.

Injuries can also occur in other settings: schools, homes, the neighbourhood, and other community locations.

Many injuries can be avoided by wearing a well-fitted sports mouthguard.

How to Take Care of a Knocked-Out Tooth

What should you do if a tooth is knocked out? Here is a plan of action:

• Remain calm– this will help the injured person to be calm as well.
• Do check for other injuries: if the person has been concussed and is unconscious, this becomes the priority for treatment.
• Locate the tooth as quickly as possible. The best treatment is to re-implant the tooth as soon as possible after the injury, as this gives the tooth the greatest chance of long-term survival.

It is important to preserve the cells on the root of the tooth since these must ultimately regenerate and re-create the bond between the tooth and the bony socket into which it will be re-implanted. If the tooth is allowed to dry out, the cells will die. Scrubbing the root or leaving the tooth in water can also kill these precious cells.

• Hold the tooth by its crown, never by its root.
• Just re-implant a perfect tooth. Ask the patient to gently suck the root clean or rinse the root in fresh milk or sterile saline (from a first aid kit).
• Do not scrub the tooth.
• If the tooth is not clean, don't re-implant it. Keep it moist by storing it in gauze dampened with milk or saline. Alternatively, the patient can hold the tooth in their mouth inside their cheek.
• Do not let the tooth root dry out. The cells on the tooth surface will die and reimplantation may not be possible.
• Gently place the tooth back into its socket. If you meet any resistance, don't push! It’s important not to cause further damage to the tooth and socket or structures underneath.
• Keep the tooth firmly in place. A grown-up or older child will actually want to hold the tooth set up with light finger pressure. A younger child may need assistance. If you have some aluminium foil handy, you can mould this over the teeth to create a splint. This will protect the tooth and hold it in place.
• Get the patient to a dental specialist as soon as possible for treatment. Teeth that are re-implanted and stabilised properly by a dentist within thirty minutes have the best chance of survival.

Edmonton West Dental Clinic

21553 Chief Lapotac Blvd 101 NW, Edmonton, AB T7X 3Y3