If you like to take part in contact sports, or have responsibility for overseeing these activities on a playing field, then you need to have a certain amount of first aid awareness. This is particularly important, of course, if you're in a supervisory role. However, many people do not realise that there is a certain procedure to take in the event that a player has one of their teeth knocked out. What do you need to know?
Why Action Is Important
While it is certainly advisable to wear a properly fitted mouthguard whenever taking part in a contact sport, accidents can still happen. It's possible that an impact could result in one or more teeth being completely knocked out. While this is of course painful, many people in this situation tend to focus only on the pain and how soon they are going to be able to see a dentist. They simply treat the situation as unfortunate, but don't do much in the immediate aftermath to try and achieve a better long-term outcome.
The Process
The first thing that you need to do is to treat the tooth and rinse it in clean water. Usually, training staff will have bottled water at the sideline that is given to the players periodically and this will do perfectly. Have a cursory look at the root and if it appears to be clean, then you should try to reposition it. You need to stabilise the person's head so that you're able to establish some pressure, so you will need to put one hand on the top of the person's head or underneath the jaw, depending on where the problem is. Then, reseat the tooth and maintain pressure for a couple of minutes.
Don't worry about the technicalities of this, just make sure that it appears to have been put back correctly. Usually, sustained pressure for a couple of minutes will help to stem any bleeding and should allow the tooth to undergo a certain amount of reattachment.
Getting Further Treatment
It is important to schedule a visit to a dentist as soon as possible after this. The dentist will have to perform a root canal and treat the tissue appropriately in order to ensure that the tooth can survive.
Transportation
If it is not possible to reinsert the tooth at the scene, perhaps due to damage to adjacent teeth or to the gum, then the tooth should be put into a substance such as milk, so that it can be transported to the dentist for their advice.
Immediate Follow-Up
If the original tooth is to be saved, then swift action by those at the scene to immediately "replant" it is required. Always remember to follow up with the dentist at the earliest convenience, in any case.
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