It’s not too worrisome if your toddler’s loose tooth falls out; however, if your older child has a permanent tooth come loose, that’s cause to get to your dentist as soon as possible.

Whether they’re playing sports or just a bit clumsy, knocking a tooth out can be more common than most think when it comes to kids. Did you know, though, that a permanent tooth can be placed back after being knocked out? Time is the biggest factor – you should try to get to an emergency dentist appointment within 30 minutes if you want to give the tooth the best chance for survival!

Once you find the tooth, hold it gently by the crown (that would be the flat side where you chew food) and not by the root, as it can be easily damaged. The first thing you will want to try and do, if your child is older, is to actually place the tooth back into the socket. This may not sound pleasant but usually the tooth will slide easily back in. Do not force it. If it does slide back in, give your child a piece of gauze to bite down on to keep the tooth in place (while you drive to the dentist!).

If you can’t get the tooth back into the socket, then you will need to store it to get from A to B. You’ve probably seen people in the movies lose a toe and rush to get it in ice and to the hospital; teeth are not much different. However, you do not want to put your tooth in ice or tap water. Your best route is to place it in a container of milk. If that is not an option, the tooth can be “stored” inside the mouth between the cheek and gum line. However, if your child is not old enough to do this then you may have to get them to spit into a container to store the tooth in their saliva.

Once you have the tooth safely stored, you need to be on your way to an emergency appointment if you want to have the best chance of having it replaced back into the mouth. It is sometimes still possible to replace a tooth if it’s been outside the mouth for over an hour but the likelihood of this dwindles as more time passes.