Accident on a Slide

While on a walk last week I stopped at the neighborhood playground to watch a 9 year old girl zoom full speed down the slide. A second later she was on her face and had broken her newly erupted front tooth in half. She was hysterical, her mom was hysterical but I ran to the rescue, swooping up the tooth fragment and hydrating it. Talk about being at the right place at the right time! It was a Sunday and I offered to open the office for them. Back in the office, I carefully cleaned off the tooth and fragment and bonded it back in place. As good as new and one happy patient!

If you or a family member breaks a tooth, rinse the mouth with warm water to clean the area. Use cold compresses to keep any swelling down. Call your dentist immediately.

If a tooth is knocked out or is broken in half, as happened to the girl on the slide, rinse off the tooth or tooth fragment in water if it is dirty. Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If possible, gently insert and hold the tooth in its socket. If that isn’t possible, put the tooth in a cup of milk and get to the dentist as quickly as possible. Remember to take the tooth or fragment with you!