First aid brushup: Wound management - Dental injury

It may be possible to replant a tooth which has been knocked out.

Identification

This should be reasonably obvious.

Image from here

Management

The injury to the mouth can be managed by having the casualty sit up with their head leaning forward and towards the injured side so that any blood can drain.  Pressure should be applied to the bleeding socket with clean gauze pad for about 10 minutes (biting may be an effective way to do this). 




Rinsing the mouth out is not recommended as this will interfere with clotting.




The tooth should only be handled by the enamel (not by the roots).  Any dirt should be gently cleaned off it with water or with the casualty's saliva.  However, do not store the tooth in water.  You can attempt to reimplant the tooth provided the casualty is not drowsy, young, unconscious or distressed.  Alternatively, a dentist should be consulted as soon as possible; in the meantime the tooth should be stored in a glass of milk, or wrapped in cling wrap or foil.

Acknowledgement

As with other posts in this series, the information supplied is from Kym Eden's Fun with First Aid (2013).