The first years of life often revolve around getting teeth but it's all too easy for a toddling explorer or roughhousing siblings to end up dislodging a tooth before it's due to come out. Unfortunately, even though they were due to lose the tooth in the next few years, you need to get a dentist to examine the lost tooth. Here are some reasons to make a quick trip to the emergency dentist.  

Space maintenance

Teeth are naturally oriented towards each other. If a child loses a tooth before their adult tooth in ready to erupt under the gum line, the teeth on each side can often start to move towards each other to 'fill the gap'. If there is not a tooth about to head through the gap the dentist may recommend a space maintainer, to help keep the orientation of the surrounding teeth straight and ensure that there are no issues with the bite following the loss of this tooth.

Clean break

If a child has broken a tooth in a fall even if it appears to have full come out there may not be a clean break to the tooth. If part of the root and/or broken tooth is still left in the mouth this can lead to decay. The decay can cause gum disease, bad breath and potentially even infections such as abscesses. For this reason, it's important to get an emergency dentist to check the tooth site to determine if the tooth and root have come out cleanly, or if they need to do more to clear the site of tooth or root fragments. They can also sew up the wound if there is a jagged cut or open wound in the mouth.  

Pain and discomfort

If the child is in pain from the tooth coming out a dentist can help to numb the area and prescribe pain relief. If there is pain a dentist can also take some scans of the rest of the mouth and ensure that there is no other damage lurking in places that can't be easily seen by the naked eye, such as cracks in other teeth.

As you can see if a child loses a baby tooth it is important to get the area checked out quickly by a dentist. They can ensure that there is no other damage, that the wound site is clean and help check the overall health of the child's mouth.  

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