Custom mouthguards & what you need to know:
What to do if your child’s tooth gets knocked out:
Custom Mouthguard in Keller, TX: Why it’s important your child has full dental protection
Trauma is the top cause for unnatural tooth loss in children. In sports like hockey and football, it’s almost unheard of to not protect your child’s teeth with a mouthguard; it’s the sports like basketball, soccer, and others where it is less common to wear a mouthguard, that Dr. Cornelius is seeing the most dental injuries occur. However, it is important to take note that not just any mouthguard will protect your child’s teeth, but your best option is getting your child a custom mouthguard in Keller, TX.
Mouthguards don’t only protect your child’s teeth, research now shows that mouthguards actually help in the prevention of concussions as well. The better the mouthguard, the larger the decrease in the number of concussions. While mouthguards available for purchase at the store do offer a range of decent protection, dentists and doctors are still seeing injuries occur, as there is just nothing on the market that can offer you the same kind of protection as a custom mouthguard from your dentist.
A custom mouthguard may cost you more now, but it could save you thousands in dental work down the line
Occasionally schools will provide mouth guards, and you can even buy boil and bite mouthguards that give for a bit of a more custom fit, but while these mouthguards are great in theory, they still do not offer the full coverage protection your child needs. For example, in many cases, when creating the molded mouthguard, children end up biting down too hard which therefore doesn’t leave enough thickness in between the teeth for proper cushioning.
What should I do if my child’s tooth gets knocked out?
Take a deep breath. Know that it is natural for there to be a lot of blood. The first thing you need to do if your child’s tooth gets knocked out is to try and put the tooth back in place within an hour. The chances of the tooth surviving after this time period are very slim. It is important to not wash the tooth to avoid destroying the root that is critical to keeping the tooth alive and enabling it to re-bond. If the tooth is covered in dirt or grass, then you can gently rinse it with water, but you must avoid any pressure or scrubbing of the surface.
If your child is not cooperating in putting the tooth back in place, then you need to take measures to attempt to preserve the tooth. Saliva is the number one best preservation liquid that the tooth can be in to stay alive. If your child is too young and you are afraid they may swallow the tooth, avoid having them hold it in their mouth as this could be a choking hazard. The next best thing you can do to preserve the tooth is to submerge it in some milk. After you have taken steps to preserve the tooth, immediately call your dentist, or emergency center if you do not have a dentist, and proceed to take your child in to take the next steps.
Call Dr. Cornelius’ office in Keller, TX, at 817-431-4200. We proudly serve the residents of Keller, Roanoke, Trophy Club, Westlake, Southlake, North Richland Hills, and all surrounding communities.