I was sixteen playing defense when a shooting guard’s elbow hit my chin and knocked out two of my lower front teeth. Frightening as that was, I now know what I would tell my younger self were we in one of those time continuum movies. The first thing being, “don’t panic, you are about to see something really cool…” In my case, it was very bloody, and no one located my teeth until the game was over.
We then put them in a dry paper towel. BAD IDEA! I would now tell my former self to put them in a glass of milk, water, or even back in my mouth. This prevents dehydration and improves your odds with the dentist later. Fortunately, the dentist was available to move quickly, and he later performed two root canals and re-implanted them back in the sockets.
Now, over 20-years later, I still have the same teeth. Of course, there is a range of injuries that can happen to your teeth, and technology is far better than it was then. Just remember to call the dentist as quickly as you can, and prepare yourself to be amazed at what they can do. Don’t forget to take some before-and-after photos so you can tell your kids the story later.