Saving a Knocked-Out Tooth

(HealthDay News) -- If your child has a permanent tooth knocked out, it should be considered a dental emergency, the Nemours Foundation advises.

The tooth is most likely to survive if it is properly placed back in the socket within 30 minutes of the injury.

Here are the foundation's suggestions for what to do if a child's permanent tooth is knocked out:

• Find the tooth, and only handle it by the crown (the part that you'd see in a person's mouth), never by the root.


• Immediately rinse the tooth (don't scrub it) with saline solution or milk. Don't use tap water, which typically contains chlorine, unless that's all that's available.


• If your child is old enough to hold it there, place the tooth gently back in its socket.


• If your child is young, store the tooth in a cup of milk, or hold it in your mouth between your cheek and lower gum.


• Go immediately to your dentist or local emergency room.

The information in this article, including reference materials, are provided to you solely for educational or research purposes. Information in reference materials, are not and should not be considered professional health care advice upon which you should rely. Health care information changes rapidly and consequently, information in this article may be out of date. Questions about personal health should always be referred to a physician, dentist or other health care professional.

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