Broken or knocked-out tooth on holiday: what to do in the first 30 minutes

First: stay calm and grab a torch

The child cries, there's blood, parents get scared: it's normal. Blood in the mouth always looks like a lot because it mixes with saliva. Rinse with water, press a clean tissue on the lip or gum for a few minutes and, with your phone torch, look: is the tooth there? Chipped? Displaced? Wobbly? Everything else depends on this answer.

Chipped tooth

Look for the fragment (hard on the beach, but at home or at the pool it's often found) and keep it in a container with a little milk or water: in many cases it can be reattached. If the edge is sharp, a bit of wax or sugar-free chewing gum protects the tongue. If your child feels pain with heat, cold or air, the pulp may be exposed: it must be seen within 24 hours.

Displaced or wobbly tooth

Don't try to straighten it yourself. Soft diet, ice wrapped in a cloth on the lip, and a visit in the following hours. In small children a baby tooth pushed into the gum (intrusion) often comes back by itself within a few weeks, but it must be checked with an X-ray because the permanent tooth is forming underneath.

Knocked-out permanent tooth: the golden 30 minutes

Here time really matters. Hold the tooth by the crown (the white part), never by the root. If dirty, rinse it for a few seconds under running water or milk, without scrubbing. If your child cooperates, put it back in its socket the right way round and have them bite on a tissue. If that's not possible, place it in cold milk (or the child's saliva, in a small cup) and get to the nearest dentist within 30-60 minutes: replanted in time, the tooth can be saved.

Baby teeth knocked out by trauma are never replanted: it would risk damaging the permanent tooth underneath. Keep it for the Tooth Fairy and bring it to the check-up.

What never to do

Don't clean the tooth with a toothbrush, alcohol or disinfectants. Don't wrap it in a dry tissue (root cells die within minutes when dry). Don't wait until you're back from holiday 'since it doesn't hurt': root damage shows weeks later. Don't give hard or hot food until the tooth has been seen.

On holiday far from home? Find the nearest dental emergency service, then call us on 051 814000 or message us on WhatsApp with a photo: we'll guide you step by step and schedule the check-up on your return. Trauma handled well in the first minutes is a tooth saved forever.