Whether you are dealing with regular contact sports or you have a particular voracious toddler, you are at risk of having a tooth knocked out. We’re all in the same position and accidents happen, but this is one of those that you really don’t want to have to deal with! The good news is that there are superheroes out there who can deal with it – dentists!
It’s always worth trying to save a tooth that’s still intact, even if you don’t have it attached to your gums anymore. Your dentist should be able to save it, too, with a surgery and root canal and if they cannot save it, you could look at dental implants at a clinic to replace the tooth. The odds of saving a tooth that’s been knocked out decrease as you age, but that doesn’t mean that the odds are impossible. Below, we’ve got some tips on what you can do when a tooth is knocked out.
1. Firstly, pick up the tooth by the crown at the top once it’s out and don’t handle the root as it can cause even more damage, even when you don’t intend it to.
2. Rinse the tooth carefully with clean water or even milk, but don’t dry it off. That’ll mean some excessive movement which can damage the bottom of the tooth or the root area.
3. Call the emergency dentist line and book an urgent appointment. Explain what’s happened and explain how you have handled the tooth thus far.
4. Try to sit the tooth back in your mouth and if you can’t, add it to a small container with a lid. Cover the tooth in cooled, boiled water or with cool milk. This will keep it moist and in the best possible condition.
5. If you don’t have access to any of these resources, choose to hold the tooth in your mouth in between your gum and your cheek. This will help to keep the tooth moist until later when you can get to the dentist
6. Once you get to your dentist, they will work on a solution to fill the gap with a temporary implant, or they will look to implant the tooth back into your mouth. This will greatly depend on the length of time the tooth has been out of your mouth and whether it’s in good condition or not.
7. They may reseat the tooth temporarily and perform a root canal treatment to help the bone to reattach to the bone. It takes around a month for this to reattach properly and your dentist will talk you through the process.
If you are worried about a tooth that has come out, the best thing that you can do is to talk to the emergency dentist local to you and try and get your tooth reseated. This will stop you from worrying about being left with a gap in your mouth. You don’t have to worry about your smile being off – you will be able to remain confident in your smile again!
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