Injuries to Children’s teethMy one year old daughter is currently crawling around the floor, head butting the furniture, so writing this blog and refreshing my memory couldn’t come at a better time.
One in five children will have some sort of accident involving their teeth, with boys being twice as likely to have an accident.
Toddlers can injure their teeth by falling, whilst older children are more likely to suffer a dental trauma from a sports injury or hobbies such as skateboarding, running, diving into pools. Normally it is the top front teeth that are most commonly injured.
Always call your dentist immediately if your child has a tooth or gum injury.
If a permanent tooth is knocked out it can actually be saved by placing it back into the socket. This needs to be done as soon as possible following these steps:
Remain calm and reassure your child you can help.
Rinse off the tooth with saliva or milk but do NOT scrub it.
Hold the tooth by the crown (NOT the root) and gently push into the socket making sure it is the right way round.
Hold the tooth in place and ask the child to bite gently onto a clean handkerchief.
Go to your dentist immediately.
If you can’t replace the tooth then either place it in some milk or place the tooth in the mouth between the cheek and gum until you can get to a dentist. It is important not to let the tooth become dry.
We cannot wrap our children in cotton wool, trips, slips and bumps are inevitable but knowing these instructions may help put you at ease and help keep your children smiling.
To minimise the risk of a tooth injury in children:
Teach your child NOT to walk or run whilst holding an object in their mouth
Make sure your child wears a mouth guard for any contact sports
Written by Sophie Loxton - Dental Nurse
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