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Aussie mum’s warning after daughter's nasty waterslide accident

A mum has shared her daughter's horrific waterslide injury and warned parents against a dangerous activity.

Sharing her story with Tiny Hearts Education — a first-aid platform for parents — the Aussie mum said a seemingly harmless act led to "the greatest dental trauma the emergency hospital we attended has ever seen".

The mum said her 10-year-old daughter was "having a blast" on the slide with her brother.

"They then decided to walk back up the slide, the wrong way, when her brother lost his footing, taking her out," she wrote.

X-ray of girl's facial damage caused from waterslide accident
The little girl's teeth ended up lodged in her nose with an X-ray detailing the damage caused by the waterslide accident. Source: Facebook/Tiny Heart Education

"She fell face forward into the slide, knocking her two front teeth into her nasal region, losing a whole tooth which she spat into my hand and causing multiple fractures to her alveolar bone in her jaw."

The incident took place at a caravan park last week, although it's not known exactly where.

The mum said she never expected their weekend away "would end the way it did" — sitting in paediatrics.

Extensive surgery and months of recovery

The mum shared an X-ray showing her daughter's skull and the extent of the damage done to her teeth and facial structure.

"She had to undergo maxillofacial surgery to bring the teeth down and re-implant the tooth that came out, stint the teeth and stitch her mouth back together," the worried mum explained.

"She was left with only 50 and 70 per cent of the bone and will likely require a bone graft in the weeks/months to come."

Child's tooth in mum's hand
One tooth came out entirely and the young girl spat it in her mum's hand. Source: Facebook

Like many parents, the mum admitted she "never thought such injuries could come from walking up a water slide."

"But the signs are there for a reason," she said, as a warning to others.

In the picture of the slide the mum shared, at the entrance at the bottom it reads, 'NO CLIMBING BACK IN OR ON WATERSLIDE'.

What to do when a tooth is knocked out

The post garnered an outpouring of support from other parents, with some sharing similar horror stories of their own.

"Oh my goodness. Never would I have thought. Thanks for sharing and I hope she recovers well after all her surgeries," one said.

"Goes for normal slides too not just water slides. I never let my children climb up slides," another warned.

"Omg I feel this so much!!! When I was 10, I ran up a metal slide… slipped, fell face down and completely knocked myself out," another said.

Tiny Hearts Education shared some safety tips for parents if ever this were to happen.

"Handle the tooth by the crown (smooth white part, not pointy part), "they said. "If dirty, rinse with milk or saline for a few seconds (Don't use water!)"

If the tooth that's come out is a baby tooth, they warned against attempting to put it back in.

And don't let the tooth dry out keep the tooth in saliva, milk or saline.

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