Children start losing their primary teeth as they grow, allowing permanent teeth to erupt. The permanent teeth are more vital than baby teeth and will allow your child to use them in their lives, making it essential to keep them robust, healthy, and clean.
Unfortunately, childhood offers children many opportunities to have a tooth knocked out when playing contact sports, cycling, or getting into altercations without protective gear over their teeth. In addition, children can lose permanent teeth due to athletic mishaps, falls, or biting on complex objects. In this article, we explore some questions parents confront when matters related to their child’s loss of a permanent tooth, including how parents must react when such incidences occur.
Parents unused to noticing permanent tooth loss in children must remain determined to contact pediatric dentistry in old Seabrook, CT, for advice at the earliest without panicking if their child returns home in the evening with a tooth knocked out. Trying to use at-home remedies can cause damage to the child’s tooth socket, making it impractical to reinsert the knockout tooth.
Parents must understand the knockout tooth will never re-emerge because it is the only permanent tooth in the child’s mouth, similar to adults. Instead, they must seek help from dental professionals with adequate knowledge of managing the child’s toothless grin. However, the primary responsibility of parents is to reach the dentist’s office in the shortest time possible to enable the successful reinsertion of the tooth into its socket.
A knockout tooth is not a piece of bone that parents can store in their pocket but needs care until they reach the office of pediatric emergency dentistry nearby. However, parents must ensure they don’t touch the tooth with its roots and rinse it in warm water to avoid damaging the roots.
Parents can suggest children place the tooth into its empty socket and wiggle it until the root goes back in the socket. If the child is successful, parents can put sterile gauze, if available, or some damp paper towel until they reach the dentist’s office. Getting the child to bite down on the sterile gauze or paper towel helps during the drive to the dental office.
Parents thinking their child might not hold the tooth in the mouth or swallow it can keep it in a tiny milk container or purchase an over-the-counter solution for storing the tooth to keep it moist. However, water is not a solution for tooth storage because it can damage the cells on the root surface.
If your child loses a permanent tooth, the chances of re-emerging are negligible. The best alternative for parents is to get the child to the emergency facility with the knockout tooth for solutions to have it reinserted by the dentists. Dentists have treatments for knockout teeth for children and adults, including replacement solutions if a tooth is impractical to reinsert. If your child has completed bone growth and the knockout tooth cannot be reinserted, the dentist might offer solutions with tooth implants. However, bone growth completion is essential, besides a consultation with the pediatric dentist for the placement.
If the tooth root of your child’s tooth is viable pediatric dentists use metal or plastic splints to help hold it in the socket until the ligaments regrow and healing occurs. The splint remains in the mouth until the dentist determines it is removable after six to eight weeks.
Reattaching a knockout tooth becomes impossible if parents reach the dentist beyond 30 minutes or if the tooth root is damaged and lifeless. Fortunately, there are solutions available to fill the gap with replacements.
Dental implants are a suitable replacement solution for adults looking and feeling like natural teeth. However, implant placement requires surgery to place a titanium post in the tooth socket besides an abutment and Crown.
Dental bridges are another option dentists offer by attaching a bridge to the adjacent teeth to fill the edentulous gap with a natural-looking fake tooth.
Implants and bridges are commonly recommended for adult patients. However, teenagers with a permanent tooth knocked out might receive a temporary retainer to wear to close the void in their mouths.
If your child loses a permanent tooth knocked out, Saybrook Family Dental Care can help them with an appropriate solution. Contact the practice without wasting time to preserve your child’s smile with their natural tooth and get to them within the shortest time possible.