Your Child Knocked Out a Tooth: What to Do Next

A knocked out or badly loosened tooth is one of the more alarming things that can happen to a child, and it usually happens fast, at the playground, on a bike, or running through the living room. Knowing what to do in the first minute or two genuinely changes the outcome, so it's worth knowing before you need it, not while you're standing over a crying kid with a bloody mouth.

First, figure out which kind of tooth it is

The response is different depending on whether it's a baby tooth or a permanent one, and different again depending on whether the tooth is still partly in place or completely out.

If the tooth is still in the mouth but pushed out of position

If a tooth has been knocked loose or pushed sideways but hasn't come all the way out, gently try to reposition it with clean fingers, without forcing it. Then call us. We would rather look at it and tell you it's fine than have you guess.

If a permanent tooth has come out completely

• Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown, the white part, never the root
• If it's dirty, rinse it briefly in water, but do not scrub it or clean it with soap
• Try to place it back in the socket facing the right way, if your child will tolerate it
• If it can't go back in, put it in a cup of milk, or water if milk isn't available, and don't let it dry out
• Call us immediately, this is a genuine time-sensitive emergency, not a next-business-day call

A permanent tooth has the best chance of being saved the sooner it's re-implanted, which is why speed matters more here than almost anywhere else in dentistry.

If a baby tooth has come out completely

Baby teeth are handled differently. Do not try to put a baby tooth back in the socket. Re-implanting a baby tooth can actually damage the permanent tooth developing underneath it, so instead, control any bleeding with clean gauze or a damp tea bag held gently against the area, and call us so we can check that nothing else was affected.

What about a tooth that just looks dark afterward

Sometimes a tooth takes a hit that doesn't knock it out at all, and it simply starts turning dark days or weeks later. This is common in kids under four and happens because of trauma to the tooth's inner nerve. Some of these teeth lighten back up over time on their own, others darken further, and a dark tooth can occasionally mean the nerve isn't alive anymore, which can lead to an abscess if it's left unchecked. Either way, it's worth an exam rather than waiting to see what happens.

Save this number

For any dental emergency after our regular hours, call (901) 550-5564. During office hours, call our Bartlett location at (901) 382-1564. We keep on-call and emergency appointment slots available specifically for situations like this, because a knocked out tooth doesn't wait for a convenient time, and neither should the response to it. If in doubt, call. We would always rather take a look at something that turns out to be minor than have a family wait on something that wasn't.

Reducing the odds it happens at all

• A properly fitted mouthguard for any organized sport, not just contact sports like football or hockey
• Keeping an eye on rough play near hard furniture edges and stairs, where a surprising number of dental injuries actually happen
• Making sure bike helmets and playground supervision are treated as seriously as they are for head injuries, since a fall that scrapes a knee can just as easily catch a front tooth

What follow-up care usually looks like

After the initial emergency is handled, most kids need at least one follow-up visit so we can confirm the tooth, and the teeth around it, are healing the way they should. Depending on what happened, that might mean a crown to restore a damaged tooth's strength, or in more serious cases a pulpotomy, sometimes called a baby root canal, to save a tooth from infection after significant trauma. We'll walk you through exactly what your child needs once we've had a chance to look, rather than guessing over the phone.

This is one of those situations where being locally and family owned since 1979 actually matters in a practical way. We know these injuries, we've treated generations of Bartlett and Atoka kids through them, and we keep the after-hours line staffed specifically so a scared parent at seven in the evening isn't left waiting until the next business day.