The first few years of your child’s life are such an exciting time as they begin to explore and interact with the world around them. It’s a time when they’re full of curiosity and constantly discovering new things.
But with that curiosity comes the risk of little accidents, like when your child accidentally hurts or bumps their tiny teeth. Sometimes, despite our best efforts to keep them safe, these things happen.
It can be incredibly upsetting to see our child’s first few teeth missing or injured, and it can bring on feelings of guilt.
We want to reassure you that while we don’t want these accidents to happen, they are actually quite common.
What to Do If Your Toddler Knocks Out a BABY Tooth
Here’s what you can do to help them through it in case it happens.
If your child is bleeding after the tooth gets knocked out, have them bite down on a piece of gauze or a clean cloth and gently apply pressure. This should help the bleeding slow down and eventually stop.
If your child is upset and won’t bite down on the cloth, offering something cold, like ice cream or a cold washcloth, can be comforting and also help with the bleeding.
Just keep an eye on the situation for a few minutes to make sure the bleeding doesn’t continue.
For a knocked-out or fractured baby tooth, emergency treatment is typically not needed right away. However, you’ll need to give your dentist a call as soon as possible.
Let them know what happened, and they’ll likely ask you to bring your child in for an emergency exam the next day.
While baby teeth eventually fall out on their own, the dentist will want to check for any damage to the root or adult tooth forming underneath to make sure it’s developing properly.
Read more: Should I Pull My Child’s Loose Baby Tooth Or Let It Fall Out Naturally?
Please note that the above steps are not for a permanent tooth.
What to Do If Your Child Knocks Out a PERMANENT Tooth
If your child knocks out a permanent tooth, time is of the essence. You need to see the dentist immediately so that it can be reimplanted.
Hold the tooth by the crown (the top part visible from the gum), NOT the root. If possible, try to gently reinsert the tooth into the socket.
If the tooth is dirty, you may rinse the tooth with water VERY gently.
You MUST AVOID more vigorous cleaning or scrubbing of the tooth, as this can damage the root cells needed to reattach the tooth to the gums.
If you can’t reinsert the tooth, place it in a cup of saliva or milk and call your dentist ASAP. The tooth must be completely submerged to help preserve it until you can get to the dentist.
Be Gentle with Yourself After a Tooth Accident
It’s totally normal to feel guilty or upset after your child knocks out a tooth. In moments like these, your emotions can easily spiral, and that’s okay.
It can be hard not to wonder whether you could’ve done something differently, but it’s really important to be gentle with yourself during this time.
Accidents happen, and they’re often beyond our control, no matter how hard we try to prevent them.
Children are also incredibly resilient, and while you might be feeling anxious about the situation, your toddler’s missing tooth might not be as big of a deal to them. Most toddlers don’t even mind as much as we think they will!
Read more: Is Your Home a Tooth Trap? 6 Household Hazards That Can Cause Dental Emergencies in Children
If you ever need professional care, know that we at Lafayette Pediatric Dentistry are here for you and your child. We strive to provide the best professional dental care for your little one.
For families in Lafayette, Youngsville, Carencro, Broussard, Breaux Bridge, and surrounding areas who are looking for an emergency pediatric dentist, give our office a call. We offer emergency dental care every weekday and are available 24/7 through our emergency helpline.