• Baby teeth falling out to make room for permanent teeth are a normal rite of passage for children. However, complications can arise when these teeth come out prematurely by being knocked out. Even though these teeth will have fallen out anyway, it is still important to go see your child's dentist right away, as certain complications can arise from a knocked out baby tooth.
  
  

Aspiration of the Tooth

• If a child's baby tooth is knocked out, the first thing that needs to be done is ensure that the tooth was not breathed in by the child. It could be lodged in the child's throat. It is important to see a pediatrician in the case that you cannot find the tooth.
  
  

Spacing Problems

• Baby teeth provide spaces for underlying permanent teeth. Normally when a baby tooth falls out, a permanent tooth comes up in its place soon after. When a baby tooth is knocked out, the space that was reserved for the permanent tooth could be filled in by the surrounding teeth. To prevent this, a dentist will put in a space maintainer in place of the knocked out tooth. This will hold the space until the child's permanent tooth comes in.
  
  

Speech Problems

• Temporary speech problems can occur if any of the four front baby teeth are knocked out. This is especially true if the teeth get knocked out before a child has mastered speech. However, these speech problems are temporary and should go away when the child's permanent teeth come in.
  
  

Damage to Permanent Teeth

• In some cases, the underlying permanent tooth can get damaged when the baby tooth above it gets knocked out. This usually occurs when the tooth is one of the incisors. It occurs in as many as 75 percent of cases, although the percentage drops to 18 percent if the child is over five. Also, trying to fit the knocked out baby tooth into its socket can damage the permanent tooth underneath.
  
  

Tooth Fragments

• Sometimes, fragments of a tooth are left in the gum when it is knocked out. It is important to see a dentist soon afterwards so that she can make sure the entire tooth has come out. Tooth fragments can cause complications when the permanent teeth try to push through.