What should I do if my child chipped, broke, or knocked a tooth loose?
Contact us immediately. Quick action can save the tooth, prevent infection and reduce the need for extensive dental treatment.
Rinse your child's mouth with warm salt water and apply cold compresses to reduce swelling. If possible, locate and save any broken tooth fragments and bring them with you to our office.
Chipped and Broken Teeth
Increased Risk of Infection
If your child has chipped or broken a tooth, it’s important to get the tooth repaired as soon as possible. A chip or break exposes the dentin, or the inner material, of the tooth, which is far more susceptible to decay and infection. Exposed dentin is much more sensitive to temperature and pain because it is no longer protected by enamel.
If the tooth is broken and exposing the nerve, your child’s tooth will be extremely painful to the touch and prone to infection.
Gather Tooth Chips
Hopefully, you’ll be around if your child chips a tooth. If you can locate the chip, bring it with you to the dentist. To keep the chips healthy, you can store them in milk as you head to the dentist. Otherwise, wrap them up and keep them close. We can restore the chip to the tooth and it will feel and look good as new.
If you can’t find the chip, still bring your child to the dentist as quickly as possible. Depending on which tooth was chipped, there are various methods we can use to restore the tooth. If your child has chipped one of their front teeth, we can use a photo of them to help shape the restoration.
My Child Knocked a Tooth Loose
Even if the tooth is still in their mouth and sits in their gums well, if they’ve knocked the tooth loose, it’s possible the tooth could still die. A tooth dies when it is no longer attached to the nerve; if a tooth is knocked a significant amount, it can detach itself from the nerve causing the tooth to die. By re-sitting the tooth and offering other methods of assistance, we can save the tooth. If you’ve noticed the tooth is discolored or grey, bring your child in right away too.
Day, Night, Weekday, or Weekend, Just 4 kiDDs is Here For You
We take our emergencies seriously. Please give us a call if your child has chipped, broken, or knocked a tooth loose. We can fit you into our schedule. Even if it’s a weekend, one of our dentists will be on-call to help out your child.