It’s the last thing any parent wants to witness, or hear about, but unfortunately the reality is that teeth sometimes get knocked out due to rambunctious play or as a result of a sports injury. Life is about having fun, so the solution is not to stop children from participating in sport – but it is important to take preventative steps to reduce the chances of a tooth being knocked out.
NE Calgary Dentists at Discover Dental take the time to explain to parents the importance of a child wearing a sports guard when taking part in sporting activities. Worn by professional athletes and now mandated in many junior sporting organizations – a sports guard should be viewed the same as any other piece of protective sporting equipment – vital to the enjoyment and safety of the game. But even with preventative measures in place, accidents still happen, so what should you do if you witness your child’s tooth being knocked out?
Firstly, it’s not just winter sports like hockey that demand the use of a sports guard due to the high risk of tooth loss – activities like baseball, softball, and rugby also benefit from the use of a guard. But even if your child isn’t on a sports team, the summer months mean way more time playing outside, biking, skateboarding, and hanging from the monkey bars, that the risk of injury to the mouth is quite high. If you happen to see your child sustain an injury to the mouth, there are some key steps to take in the first few minutes that can make the difference to the end result.
Calgary Dentists – Dr’s Dhesi, Jandu, Dhillon, and Minhas – recommend that if a tooth has been completely knocked out (avulsed) and is in one piece, to pick the tooth up by the crown end – not the root – and rinse gently under warm water if there is obvious dirt on the tooth and reinsert the tooth back into the socket. Yes, don’t hesitate; reinserting the tooth gives it an opportunity for long-term survival. If the thought of placing a tooth back in a socket makes you a little squeamish don’t worry, just try to make it the dentist ASAP. Don’t store the tooth in water – it’s preferable to put the tooth in some saline solution or saliva. If you can make it to the dentist within thirty minutes, there’s a good chance that the tooth can be reinserted. Reinserting a tooth that has been out of the mouth for more than thirty minutes is unlikely to be successfully re-implanted – timing is of the essence and the need for periodontal ligaments to reattach to a tooth has the best probability of happening when the tooth is put back in the socket immediately, or within five minutes of being knocked out. You may want to give a sports coach, babysitter, or camp personnel permission to reinsert your child’s tooth if necessary. If it’s a baby tooth that has been knocked out then there really isn’t any urgent course of action required, as reinserting a baby tooth is not recommended due to the risk of damage to the bud of the permanent tooth. Regardless of whether it’s a baby tooth or permanent tooth – always take your child to a Calgary Dentist following any form of trauma to the mouth – as damage isn’t always evident and can only be revealed with an x-ray.
Dentists in NE Calgary at Discover Dental reinforce the need to bring your child to the dentist following any form of accident. If you are successful in re-implanting the tooth, make sure you still bring your child to a Calgary Dentist for teeth to be splinted. Splinting the newly re-implanted tooth to adjacent teeth will give the traumatized tooth the prospect of attaching to the ligaments and healing. Of course, there is always the risk that reinsertion will not be successful – but saving a tooth is always worth the effort.
For more information regarding dental emergencies in Calgary – contact the NE General Dentists today – their goal is to provide patients with information and advice that will allow any dental situation to be handled well. Accepting new patients – call today 403.285.0222