Children are more prone to injury while playing sports, fights or fall. In addition to the pain and trauma, tooth loss will cause more mental trauma to the kid. Knocked out tooth, called as Avulsed tooth by the dentists is one of the serious emergencies faced by the permanent teeth.
Ifyou encounter a child with avulsed tooth, don’t panic. Calm the child, search for the tooth and pick it by holding the crown ( white tooth ) portion. Do not touch the root portion.
If the tooth is dirty, rinse it in milk ( if available ) or tap water gently for 10 seconds. Do not wipe it with cloth or hands. Try to put the tooth back in position and ask the child to bite on a handkercheif. In most cases, it will slip into right position, but remember not to force the tooth. Consult your nearby dentist quickly for further treatment. If the tooth cannot be positioned , place it in the child’s mouth between the cheeks and teeth.
If the child is not mature enough to handle the tooth without swallowing it , keep the tooth in a wet medium like milk, saliva, coconut water or green tea. The best medium to transport avulsed tooth is HBSS ( Hank’s Balanced Salr Solution) but it is often not available. If these are not available simply place the tooth in running water and rush to your dentist as soon as possible.!
Your dentist will clean the infected area and reposition the tooth in correct position and splint it with adjacent teeth using composite or wire and will start root canal treatment right away or wait. However, the treatment will differ if the tooth or the bone around it is broken. The dentist will require a follow up in a week’s time or after 2 – 3 weeks and thereafter ;once in 6 months to ensure that tooth is re implanted successfully
