Re-printed with permission from
Markel Insurance Company
www.martialartsinsurance.com
From their "Risk Management News" Newsletter
- December 2006
Tooth Emergencies
An unintentional strike or kick to the
mouth can easily loosen or dislodge teeth, even if a student
is wearing a mouth guard. Once a tooth is knocked out, it
has the best chance of survival if replaced
within 30 minutes.
Kids Health recommends taking the follow
actions to help preserve a knocked-out, permanent tooth
until the student can obtain emergency dental assistance:
1. Find the tooth. Handle it by the crown
(the top part), never by the root.
2. Gently rinse (don’t scrub) the tooth immediately with
saline solution or milk. (Use tap water
as a last resort. It contains
chlorine, which may damage the root.)
3. Keep the tooth from drying out until the student can see
the dentist by:
a. Inserting the tooth back into its socket in the child’s
mouth if he or she is old enough to
hold it in place,
b. Storing the tooth in milk (not water), or
c. Having the child’s parents place the tooth between their
cheek and lower gum.
4. Go to the child’s dentist or your local emergency room
immediately.
Consider adding a tooth-saver kit to your first aid
supplies. Your kit should include latex gloves, saline
solution, a container for the tooth, and milk (you’ll need
to replace milk regularly).
Other steps to prevent tooth loss include:
• Establishing clear rules of acceptable and
unacceptable contact. Prohibit head and mouth shots during sparring.
• Requiring students to wear mouth guards. Require
students to wear helmets, along with hand and foot padding, during
sparring.
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