Let me start by saying that I have a 12 year old son. You can see him and his friend in this caught-on-video faceplant demonstrating what happens on cross country skis when your balance is off a little bit. Like all accidents this was not planned or intentional, but it is a great example of how facial or dental trauma can happen. I’m happy to say that both boys are fine (I was laughing too hard to be able to help them in any meaningful way), but for the sake of discussion let’s imagine a different scenario. What if, instead landing face first in 32″ of soft snow, they landed on their ski tips or something else less forgiving than the Blizzard of 2016. Do you know what to do if someone knocks out a tooth? The very first thing to determine is if they have lost a permanent tooth, or a baby tooth (most kids lose their front baby teeth at about 6-7 years old). If it’s a baby tooth, put it under the pillow and call the tooth fairy. After you get off the phone with her, call the office so we can make sure there are no other injuries that need to be treated. If it is an adult tooth, take care to avoid touching the root. If it’s dirty, gently clean the tooth with saline or water, and immediately place it back into the socket where it came from. Be mindful to place it in right side front, and hold it firmly in place with gauze or a towel. The tooth will probably need to be stabilized for a few weeks, so give us a call so we can splint the tooth in place, assess the injury, and check for any other damage. If you are not able to replant the tooth, it is important to keep the tooth wet for the best chance of being able to replant it in the mouth. The best storage medium is called Hanks Balanced Salt Solution. In the likely event that you don’t happen to have any HBSS in the refrigerator, you can use whole milk, saline, or even have the injured person spit into a cup and store the tooth in their own saliva/blood. Avoid storing the tooth in water, and get to the dentist right away, as time is of the essence. So to recap. Life happens, and sometimes a tooth gets in the way. I hope you never need this information but remember, if a tooth is knocked out, avoid touching the root, put it right back into the socket, and call the office. If you can’t get it back in, store the tooth in milk or saliva, and get to the office ASAP.
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