As a dental professional, no Christmas vacation is complete without an emergency call-out to re-implant a child’s adult tooth following a faceplant off the new bike. If this happens to your child, then firstly make sure your child is medically ok, as it takes a serious knock to the face to lose a tooth! If your child lost consciousness, even for just a second, don’t waste time looking for a tooth. If it’s there, then grab it, but concussion and brain trauma trumps a lost tooth.
If the child is otherwise ok, and you have located the tooth, then best store it in a liquid to prevent the root from drying out. Saline (used for cleaning cuts and scrapes) is best. Failing that, use milk. If neither is at hand, then ask the child to carefully hold the tooth inside their mouth – in their cheek.
Immediately call your local dentist (ideally) or go straight to the emergency department. Do not try to re-implant the tooth yourself!
