TOOTH KNOCKED OUT

Fast Action to Save a Smile

Kids play hard–sometimes too hard. After unex pected contact with a ball, bat, jungle gym or a fist, your child can come home with a gap in his smile where one or two teeth used to be. Usually, it’s the upper front two that take the brunt of the blow.

If it’s a baby tooth, of course, you don’t think twice about saving the tooth. It’s best to alert your dentist, however, because if the permanent tooth is years away from making its appearance, your child may need a spacer to keep the rest of the teeth from shifting out of place.

But if the tooth that gets knocked out is a permanent one, you do want to take quick action to try to preserve the tooth. And you need to get to the dentist quickly so it can be replaced. If you act fast and take the recommended steps, there’s a good chance that knocked-out tooth can be saved.

Here’s what you need to do.

Handle with care. Once you’ve found that precious tooth, hold it by the crown, not the root. ”The root is covered by a delicate tissue, called the periodontal ligament, that needs to be protected if the tooth is to be successfully replanted,” says Steven Vincent, D.D.S., associate professor at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in Iowa City. For the same reason, don’t scrub the tooth.

Replace the tooth. The safest place to store that tooth is where it came from–back in the socket. Rinse the tooth quickly with milk or saline contact lens solution. ( Use tap water as a last resort because it usually contains chlorine, which can also damage the important periodontal ligament.) If your child is calm–and willing to cooperate–gently put the tooth back into place.

”Even if you insert it facing the wrong direction, that can be corrected later,” says Luke Matranga, D.D.S., president of the Academy of General Dentistry and chairman of the Department of Comprehensive Dental Care at Creighton University Dental School in Omaha. ”The important thing is that it’s in the best location possible, its own natural home.” Once it’s in, have your child bite down gently on a gauze pad or tissue to hold it in place and get to your dentist as quickly as possible.

MEDICAL ALERT

When to See the Doctor For the best chance of saving a permanent tooth that’s been knocked out, it’s imperative to get your child and his tooth to the dentist as soon as possible, says Steven Vincent, D.D.S., associate professor at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in Iowa City. ”If the tooth can be replanted within 30 minutes after being knocked out, the chances of success are 80 to 90 percent,” he says. The odds drop after that, but don’t give up even if it takes you an hour or more to find the tooth–there’s still a chance of successfully replanting it. Once you’ve retrieved the tooth, head for the nearest dentist. ”If your child’s dentist is way across town, go to one who’s closer,” says Luke Matranga, D.D.S., president of the Academy of General Dentistry and chairman of the Department of Comprehensive Dental Care at Creighton University Dental School in Omaha. ”I don’t know of any dentist who would turn you away in this kind of emergency,” he adds. If no dentist’s office is open, head to the nearest emergency room. If a tooth isn’t knocked out completely, but loosened significantly, leave it in place. It’s still urgent to get to the nearest dentist or emergency room, however. The loose tooth can probably be ‘’splinted” to the adjacent teeth until it heals, but that needs to be done quickly.

Reach for the moo-juice. If reinserting the tooth isn’t possible, put it in a jar or cup of milk. According to dentists, milk has the right kind of chemical makeup–measured in terms of alkalinity ( pH)–to help keep that tooth in good shape for a while. ”Milk is an excellent transport medium because it has a pH compatible with the periodontal ligament tissues,” says Dr. Vincent. ”But that doesn’t mean you can dawdle; milk won’t preserve the tooth for an extended period of time.”

Or put the tooth in your mouth. No milk on hand? ”If the only moisture available is inside your own mouth, then put the tooth there, between your teeth and cheek,” advises Stuart Fountain, D.D.S., a dentist in Greensboro, North Carolina, and associate professor of endodontics at the University of North Carolina’s Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. You can also put it inside your child’s mouth if you’re sure he’s old enough and calm enough not to swallow it.

Helping the Tooth Fairy If your child has a loose, wobbly baby tooth, usually all you need to do is wait until it comes out on its own. But if the soon-to-exit baby tooth is dangling, you may want to give it a helping hand so it doesn’t come out during the night and possibly cause your child to choke. Here are some ways you can help remove the tooth. * Chill the gum with ice so your child won’t feel the tooth coming out, suggests Stuart Fountain, D.D.S., a dentist in Greensboro, North Carolina, and associate professor of endodontics at the University of North Carolina’s Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. ”Hold an ice cube on the gum beside the loose tooth for three to four minutes,” he says. * Give your child a tissue so he can grasp the tooth and pull it out, says John Bogert, D.D.S., executive director of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry in Chicago. * If your child prefers that you pull the tooth, remove it by twisting it quickly, Dr. Bogert advises. The only time to consult the dentist about losing baby teeth, doctors agree, is if a permanent tooth starts coming in before the baby tooth has loosened. In that case, the baby tooth may need to be removed so the permanent tooth can come in straight. Conversely, if a baby tooth is lost prematurely, a dentist may recommend a space-maintaining device so there will be room for the permanent tooth.

Wrap it up. A final option is to wrap the tooth in a moist tissue or cloth, says John Bogert, D.D.S., pediatric dentist and executive director of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry in Chicago. Another option is putting the tooth in a plastic bag with a little water or milk. That will help prevent the tooth from drying out and also help protect it.

Supply a handkerchief to bite down on. This will help stem bleeding and ease the pain, says Dr. Vincent. ”Actually a sterile gauze pad is better, if you have one handy. But a towel or handkerchief will do.”

Avoid future losses. If you know your child is going to be active in sports, particularly skating, outfit her with a protective mouth guard, says Dr. Fountain. You can find these at sporting goods stores.

http://www.aae.org/NR/rdonlyres/535E38C1-D9D0-4EBF-AD47-E2BCCF3D202C/0/FINALSpringAvulsedRelease.pdf

EMT TOOTH SAVER EMERGENCY KIT

EMT Tooth Saver Purpose
Reimplant Tooth

It can happen anytime, anywhere.  A running child falls face first onto the sidewalk, a swimmer hits the bottom of a pool, a child collides head-to-head on the playing field or a baseball bat swings into a player’s front teeth.  As school nurse, health professional or parent what would you do first?  Who would you call?  Can the knocked-out tooth be saved?    Statistics reveal that nearly 5 million teeth will be accidentally knocked out (avulsed) this year, and this could happen at your school, home or sporting event.     The length of time before a tooth is reimplanted and how it is transported to the dentist are crucial in successfully saving and reimplanting the tooth.         We have provided many schools in our community with Save-A-Tooth Emergency Tooth Preserving System~.  This product and EMT Tooth Saver will protect, nourish and revive knocked-out teeth and ensures successful reimplantation by us or your dentist up to 90% of the time.  And it’s simple to use in an emergency.      Keep a container of Hanks Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS), which can be purchased by the trade name 3M Save-a-Tooth or EMT Tooth Saver. This tooth saving system contains a rejuvenating fluid in a small, sterile cup that nourishes and revives the cells of a knocked-out tooth and protects the  knocked out tooth from the two primary causes of replanted tooth loss:  tooth cell crushing   tooth cell dehydration until we can reimplant it.  A scientifically engineered plastic net inside the cup holds the tooth suspended in preserving fluid and protects delicate tooth tissues from being crushed and reconstitutes tooth cells.      Save-A-Tooth is recommended by dentists, Clinical Research Associates, and the Emergency Research Council Institute. It has been evaluated by leading independent dental and medical product testing laboratories. Save-A-Tooth follows the American Dental Association recommended guidelines for tooth preserving and emergency storage. It is the only patented tooth preservation system approved by the American Dental Association,      For further information (Emergency Dental Tips) on preventing playground-related mouth injuries please read the materials we have furnished at this site to help you provide the best possible dental health care for students or family.  We care about children!       You may purchase this kit through Smart Practice.    EMT ToothSaver(TM) helps protect a knocked-out tooth from cell damage and dehydration. By suspending it in a pH-balanced cell culture fluid a tooth can be safely stored up to 24 hours until replantation. This allows other more serious injuries to be treated first and expands the window of time to perform the preferred option -  saving the natural tooth.  Save-A-Tooth

http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/save_a_tooth.htm