What to do if my child knocks out a baby tooth?

Disclaimer. If your child loses consciousness or you think they injured a permanent tooth, go to the emergency room and contact your local dentist on the way.

The typical situation - Your child falls and hits their face on the ground (tile, concrete, etc.) or an object (playground, crib, etc), or they get hit by something. You run over to comfort them and see a worrisome amount of bleeding from their face. You get that under control. Seconds, minutes, hours later - you realize a tooth missing. Now what?

First. Did your child lose consciousness? Does their behavior seem altered? Are they not responding normally?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, take them to the Emergency Room immediately to rule out any neurological damage as a result of the trauma.

Second. Is the bleeding uncontrolled after a few minutes of pressure with a washcloth or paper towel?

If you answered YES, take them to the Emergency Room to determine if advanced hemostatic measures are needed (sutures, gauze packing, etc.).

Third. Assuming everything is under control, take a good look at your child’s mouth and the surrounding area. Then Contact your Local Pediatric Dentist.

Is your child’s tooth totally missing, or can you still see part of it? Is part of it pushed into the gums? If you can’t see any tooth, look for a tooth or fragment of tooth on the ground. Your dentist will want to know this information. If you recover the tooth or part of the tooth, put it in a container with milk.

Mom reported her 3 year old child lost the crown a few days after falling on the concrete floor. Normally, we would assume only crown was lost. But, she brought this with her…

This child, surprisingly, lost her entire tooth (crown and root and all) because of the fall. Re-implanting this baby tooth is not indicated.

If your child intruded their tooth (pushed it into the gums) or only broke part of it off, your local pediatric dentist will give you all of the treatment options.

But what if my child completely avulsed (lost) their baby tooth? Well, that’s what this post is about.

If your child completely lost their baby tooth, here is what to expect…

First, your pediatric dentist will likely take a radiograph and examine for any other areas of damage. If no other damage is present, then no additional treatment (other than treatment of pain) is recommended per the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Guidelines.

The dentist won’t reimplant the tooth?

No. Unfortunately, when a tooth is lost, the ligament that holds the tooth in the socket is likely damaged beyond repair. So the most common outcome after re-implanting a tooth without that ligament is ankylosis (the tooth fuses to the supporting bone). If the baby tooth fuses to the bone, it will not fall out and cause problems with the eruption of the permanent tooth.

What if I want a replacement tooth for my child?

Good news. We can make a denture that will replace your child’s lost tooth if desired.

Bad news. It takes quite a bit of cooperation to make a model of your child’s teeth and place the denture.

Semi-Good News. Most kids tolerate a missing tooth without many problems.

Take Home Message. If your child has a dental trauma and you’re concerned, take them to the Emergency Room. On the way, contact your child’s Pediatric Dentist for guidance.