Injuries to your child's teeth can occur from falls, during play or during sports activities. Knowing what to do if a child's tooth is injured can be the difference between saving and losing the tooth.

Injuries to primary (baby) or a permanent teeth include cracks or chips, or tooth loss. Your child may experience bleeding from the area, pain or increased sensitivity when a tooth is injured.

The good news is that children who have dental injuries can have their teeth repaired and keep them for a lifetime, said Joy Parker, practice administrator in the Acton Center for Pediatric Dentistry at Children's.

"When it comes to dental injuries, time is a critical factor," Parker said. "The parent or caregiver should immediately call the dentist and take the child and the tooth or tooth fragments to the dental office."

The length of time before a tooth is reimplanted and how it is transported to the dentist are crucial in successfully saving and reimplanting the tooth.  

Baby teeth
Injuries to baby teeth and permanent teeth are usually treated differently. Because there is no threat of long-term disability from a missing baby tooth, these injuries are not treated as medical emergencies. In some cases, a temporary partial can be fitted to the child's mouth to replace a missing baby tooth, but it is most common to allow the child's mouth to heal and wait until the permanent tooth grows in.

Permanent teeth
Injury to a permanent tooth, however, is a medical emergency that could have long-term effects if not handled quickly and properly. Follow these steps in the event of an injury:

• If the tooth is still in your child's mouth, that's the best place for it. If the tooth has fallen out, find it.
• When you find the tooth, hold it by the crown (the enamel-covered part of the tooth, the widest part of the tooth).
• Using cool water, rinse the tooth. Don't scrub away or remove any tissue fragments.
• If your child's mouth is injured and you can't put the tooth back, put it in milk or saline solution. The PH level of milk is similar to that of saliva and can help preserve the tooth. Parents can ask their pediatric dentists how to obtain a "tooth saver kit," which has all of the necessary supplies to save a child's tooth for transport to the dentist's office.
• Take your child and the tooth to the dentist immediately. If your dentist is unavailable, go to the emergency room.

How to avoid tooth loss
To help prevent tooth injuries in children, follow these guidelines:

• Teach your child not to walk or run while holding an object in his or her mouth.
• Teach your child not to suck or chew on hard, sharp or pointed objects.
• Have your child wear a mouthguard for sports activities that could cause injury.
• Always wear seat belts when riding in vehicles.

Resources
Children's Medical Center