Whatever has happened to cause a tooth to be knocked-out is traumatic enough, but if this happens to someone in your family it’s important to remain calm and follow these steps to increase the likelihood of saving the tooth.

• Find the tooth and pick it up by its white part (the crown) and not by its root.
• Rinse the tooth with cold milk or water if it is dirty.
• Do not rub, scrape, brush or dry the tooth.
• Do NOT clean it with alcohol or peroxide.
• Replace the tooth in the socket and press down with your thumb.
• Have the child bite down on a piece of gauze, a wash cloth or a shirt until you get to the dentist.

If you cannot replace the tooth after 5 minutes, store it in a container with Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution (Save-a-Tooth or EMT Tooth Saver), a cup of cold milk, a cup of your child’s saliva or – last resort – a cup of water, until you get to the dentist.

Baby teeth (primary) do not need to be replanted. Just apply a gauze to stop the bleeding and visit the dentist for further evaluation. Call the Tooth Fairy as needed!