Knocked Out Tooth First Aid

Quick Action Can Increase The Chances Of Saving Knocked Out Teeth

Falling down on your face or getting hit in the face can cause serious injury to your teeth, such as pushing teeth out of place or knocking them out of the jawbone entirely. This type of dental trauma is commonly seen in accident-prone children but also during contact sports. Fortunately, this does not necessarily mean the tooth is forever lost. With immediate first aid, reimplantation can save a knocked out tooth.The best results occur if a dentist or endodontist puts the avulsed tooth back in the socket within the first hour or sooner. Chances of successful re-implantation of knocked out teeth are unlikely after 2 hours.

For information about dental injury related to chipped, cracked or broken teeth, visit this page. 

Do Not Reimplant Baby Teeth

If it is a child who has lost the tooth, first confirm whether it is a baby tooth (primary or deciduous tooth) or adult tooth (permanent tooth). Baby teeth are never reimplanted because it can cause problems with later development of the adult tooth.

1. Wear medical gloves if available. If gloves are not available, wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.
2. Position the child leaning over in the face-forward direction so that bleeding does not cause choking.
3. Control any bleeding. Start by locating clean medical or dental gauze (if available), or folding a clean paper towel. Wet the gauze or paper towel with room temperature water. Then apply firm finger pressure with the gauze or paper towel against the tooth socket until bleeding stops. If possible, ask your child to bite down on the gauze or paper towel.
4. Seek dental care immediately. Once again, baby teeth are never re-implanted. Have the dentist check to make sure all the other teeth are okay.

Reimplantation Of Adult Teeth

In cases of knocked out adult teeth accidents, this is what you must do:

1. Wear medical gloves if available. If gloves are not available, wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.
2. Position the patient leaning over in the face-forward direction so that bleeding does not drip into the back of the mouth and cause choking.
3. Control any bleeding. Start by locating clean medical or dental gauze (if available), or folding a clean paper towel into small 2 inch x 2 inch squares. Wet the gauze or paper towel with room temperature water. Then apply firm finger pressure with the wet gauze or wet paper towel against the tooth socket until bleeding stops. If possible, ask the patient to bite down on the wet gauze or paper towel.
4. Try to find the tooth. If you find the tooth, do not handle it by its root. Instead, handle it by the crown (the normally visible part of the tooth in the mouth). 
5. Gently clean the tooth. If the tooth is dirty, gently rinse it with room temperature tap water, making sure to hold it by the crown only. Do not scrub or use antiseptic disinfectant because this will kill the live periodontal ligament cells on the root surface needed to save the tooth.
6. Reinsert the adult tooth into its correct position (if possible) inside the tooth socket of the mouth. Once again, do not reinsert a baby tooth. Remember to hold the tooth by the crown and not the root. This is the best way to transport the teeth and will ensure the best chance of successful replantation. Use finger pressure or bite down on gauze or paper towel to stabilize the tooth until you are able to see the dentist or endodontist.
7. If you cannot reinsert the tooth inside the mouth, keep the tooth moist by transporting it in cold milk. Alternatively, wrap the tooth in a moist paper towel using the patient’s own saliva. Do not put the tooth in tap water, salt water, alcohol, or mouthwash.
8. Seek dental care immediately. For the best outcome, the patient should see the dentist or endodontist within 1 hour of the incident or sooner. If you are unable to talk with your dentist right away, go to a hospital emergency room immediately. Be sure to take the tooth with you.