I get where you’re coming from—when my son lost his front tooth during a soccer game, all the textbook advice about “immediate reimplantation” just flew out the window. I’d read that saliva is supposed to preserve the periodontal ligament cells, but trying to convince a panicked eight-year-old to keep a tooth in his cheek? Not a chance. Ended up dunking it in milk too, since it was the only thing in the fridge that wasn’t orange juice. Dentist later said milk’s a solid option because of the isotonic properties and pH, so no regrets there.
Honestly, I don’t think most parents are prepared for these split-second decisions. The blood, the screaming, the pressure—it’s not exactly like troubleshooting a Wi-Fi outage. If you managed to get the tooth to the dentist in any kind of decent condition, you did more than most would in that scenario. Sometimes “winging it” is all you can do, and the science says milk is a pretty safe bet anyway.
Honestly, I don’t think most parents are prepared for these split-second decisions. The blood, the screaming, the pressure—it’s not exactly like troubleshooting a Wi-Fi outage.
This is so true. When my daughter knocked her tooth out on the playground, I just froze for a second. All those “what to do” lists I’d read just vanished. I remember reading somewhere that saliva is best if you can put the tooth back in the socket, but she was sobbing and wouldn’t let anything near her mouth, let alone her own tooth. I didn’t have milk on me—just water bottles and some old juice boxes. Ended up wrapping the tooth in a damp paper towel and hoping for the best.
Dentist told me milk would’ve been better, but honestly, who carries milk around? And getting a kid to hold something in their cheek when they’re freaking out... good luck. You did what you could in the moment, and that’s all anyone can really expect. Sometimes you just have to improvise and hope it works out. If we’re talking budget, too, I’m just glad the dentist didn’t push some crazy expensive “tooth preservation kit.” Milk from the fridge is about as affordable as it gets.
I totally relate to the panic when something like this happens—my brain just kind of short-circuits. I’ve heard the same thing about putting the tooth in milk, but honestly, I don’t think I’d remember that in the moment. Saliva always sounded a bit gross to me, especially with all the blood and stress. Also, trying to get a kid to cooperate? Not happening. I wonder if just keeping it moist with water is really that much worse than milk, or if dentists just say milk because it’s better than nothing. Either way, it’s so much pressure to get it “right” when you’re freaking out.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve actually heard that water isn’t great for the tooth—apparently it can mess with the root cells or something. My dentist said milk is better because it keeps the cells alive longer. Still, in a real emergency, I’d probably just panic and grab whatever’s closest...
Still, in a real emergency, I’d probably just panic and grab whatever’s closest...
I get that. When my kid knocked out his front tooth at the playground, I had no clue what to do and honestly just freaked out for a second. I remembered hearing about milk being best, but we were nowhere near home. Ended up using his own saliva in a little cup until we got to the dentist. The dentist said milk is better if you have it, but saliva is okay in a pinch. Has anyone actually managed to have milk handy in that kind of moment?
