What to Do If Your Child Knocks Out or Chips a Tooth

First: stay calm and call

Dental injuries look dramatic — mouths bleed easily — but most are very treatable, and your calm helps your child stay calm. Call our office at (941) 529-0331 right away; we offer same-day and prompt emergency care, subject to office availability, and we can tell you exactly what to do next.

For serious facial trauma, uncontrolled bleeding, breathing difficulty, or any potentially life-threatening emergency, call 911 or seek immediate emergency medical care first.

If a permanent tooth is knocked out

Minutes matter for permanent teeth. Handle the tooth by the crown (the chewing part), not the root.

• If it's clean, try to gently reinsert it into the socket and have your child bite on gauze or a cloth to hold it.
• If you can't reinsert it, keep the tooth moist — in milk, or in the child's saliva — never in plain water or a dry tissue.
• Get to the dentist as quickly as possible.

If a baby tooth is knocked out

Don't try to reinsert a baby tooth — it can damage the developing permanent tooth underneath. Call us: we'll want to check for fragments, root damage, and effects on the incoming tooth.

Chips, cracks, and toothaches

Even a small chip deserves a look — damage isn't always visible on the surface, and prompt repair prevents sensitivity and infection. For toothaches, rinse with warm water, use a cold compress on the cheek for swelling, and call us — persistent or severe pain, or pain with swelling, should be evaluated as soon as possible.