Get tips on dealing with chipped teeth, mouth cuts and toothaches until you can get to your dentist (10 Photos)
Arricca SanSone on May 20, 2011 at 11:47AM
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If your child loses an adult tooth on the playground or in an accident, consider it an emergency requiring immediate dental care. “Your chances of saving the tooth are best if it’s replaced immediately,” says Kimberly Harms, D.D.S., consumer advocate for the American Dental Association. Pick up the tooth by the crown; if dirty, rinse gently so you don’t remove any ligament fragments, which help it reattach. Firmly replace it in the socket until you can get to your dentist, who will splint it in place. If you have a hysterical kid and can’t hold the tooth in place, put it in a glass of cold milk immediately and bring it with you to the dentist. Although baby teeth aren’t replanted because they could damage developing permanent teeth, call your dentist, who still may want to see your child.
