While contact sports are the obvious source of most dental injuries and accidents, these can also commonly occur as a result of roller-blading, skateboarding, bike-riding and scootering. Injuries can include:

• Loss of teeth
• Soft tissue damage to the gums or lips
• Jaw fracture
• Tooth fractures

If a permanent tooth is knocked out:

• Get your child to the nearest dentist or hospital with the tooth/teeth in milk or saline.

If you're unable to get the child to a dentist within one hour:

• Hold the tooth by the crown (which is the bottom of the tooth).
• Rinse the tooth, if dirty, in milk or saline.
• Don't scrub or touch the root of tooth.
• Replace the tooth in the socket.
• Make sure it goes in the right way - root first.
• Make sure that the tooth is not back to front. You can check this against the next tooth or someone else's tooth.
• Take your child to a dentist or hospital straight away so they can splint the tooth in place. 

Mouthguards: 

If your child plays any type of contact sport, he should wear a professionally fitted mouthguard - even during training. Most mouth injuries (including loss of a tooth) due to sport are preventable if a mouthguard is worn.

Find More

• Teaching your child to care for his teeth
• Your diet and healthy teeth and gums

This article was written by Ella Walsh for Kidspot. Sources include The Children's Hospital at Westmead and Dental Health Services Victoria