Wearing a custom-fitted mouthguard while participating in contact sports will help protect against painful and potentially expensive dental injuries. However, if an accident does occur and a tooth is knocked out, this sheet outlines what to do to try and save a tooth and prepare it for dental treatment. If a tooth is knocked out, remain calm and act quickly. The following steps should be taken immediately:
Locate the tooth and, handling it gently by the crown, ensure it is clean. The crown is the smooth white part of the tooth that is normally visible in the mouth.
If the root of the tooth is dirty, and the patient is calm and conscious, ask them to gently suck the tooth clean. Alternatively, rinse the entire tooth in milk or very briefly, in water.
Immediately place the tooth back in the socket making sure it is facing the right way. Immediate replacement is essential and should ideally occur within 5-10 minutes of the tooth being knocked out.
Hold the tooth in place by biting gently into a soft cloth or by using aluminium foil placed over the tooth and the teeth on either side to stabilise the tooth.
If you are unable to replant the tooth back in the socket, keep it moist by putting it in a cup of milk, sealing it in plastic wrap or placing it in the conscious patient's mouth, next to the cheek.
Immediately Seek Dental Treatment! - Time is critical to prevent permanent damage.
Extreme care should be taken with a tooth that has been knocked out. Avoid the following:
Do not handle the root of the tooth.
Do not scrape or rub the surface of the tooth.
Do not let the tooth dry out - keep it moist at all times.
Do not put the tooth in hot water or ice.
Avoid rinsing or storing the tooth in water for more than one or two seconds.
Do not remove any soft tissue fragments from the tooth.
What to do if a tooth is knocked out