What to Do If Your Child's Tooth Gets Knocked Out

If your son or daughter is rough and tumble, you might be used to acting fast after an accident. But even if your child likes to keep things mellow, life happens. You don’t need to panic if a tooth gets knocked out of their mouth, but you do need to take swift action — especially if it’s an adult tooth. 

We can help. 

With our emergency dentistry services, Irene Zaki, DDS, and our team can get you into our office as soon as possible to evaluate your child’s mouth. Call us, and we’ll set up an appointment here at Happy Teeth Children’s Dentistry in Riverside, California, as soon as possible. 

What you do immediately after the tooth gets knocked out and as you wait for that appointment changes depending on whether it was an adult or baby tooth. 

If it was a baby tooth

First, calm your child. Getting a tooth suddenly knocked out can be scary. 

Once you’re sure your child is okay, locate the tooth. If you can find it, put it in a cup and cover it with milk or saliva. 

Don’t try to place the tooth back in the socket. Doing so could damage the adult tooth developing underneath. 

When you visit Dr. Zaki, bring the baby tooth with you. 

At the appointment, she evaluates your child’s mouth. If the adult tooth is close to emerging, your child may not need any treatment. If it will be a while until that gap is filled, Dr. Zaki might recommend a space maintainer to prevent other teeth from shifting into the now-open space, which would impact the adult tooth when it grows in. 

If it was an adult tooth

If the tooth your child had knocked out was an adult tooth, acting fast is critical. You want to save your child’s natural tooth if you can.

First, try to find the tooth. In some cases, it could still be in your child’s mouth, so encourage them not to swallow so you can check first. 

If you can find the tooth, put a towel in the sink basin and gently rinse the tooth with water. The towel protects the tooth from going down the drain if you accidentally drop it.

Then, gently try to put the tooth back in its socket. If it fits back in, have your child bite down on a piece of gauze or a small towel to keep it in place. Generally, if you can get the tooth back in place within an hour, it’s likely to reroot successfully. 

If it doesn’t fit back in the socket easily, store it in a cup fully covered with milk and saliva and bring it to your appointment with Dr. Zaki. 

Ideally, Dr. Zaki can save your child’s natural tooth. The sooner you can see her, the better. 

In any case, if your child’s tooth gets knocked out, schedule an emergency dentistry visit with Dr. Zaki right away. You can call us at Happy Teeth Children’s Dentistry or book your visit online.