Dental emergencies can happen at any time. Whether you are playing sports, horsing around with your kids, or take a fall on a slippery surface, you could end up accidentally harming your precious smile. The situation can be particularly frightening if you knock out a tooth. Do not panic. Instead, take swift action to minimize the damage to your mouth and maybe even save your tooth. Here is what you should do:
1. Find the Tooth and Call Your Dentist
Find the tooth where it fell and carefully pick it up by its crown (the part you normally see above the gumline). Do not touch its root. Tooth roots are sensitive, and touching them unnecessarily could cause further damage.
While you are looking for your tooth, call your emergency dentist and let them know what happened. They will give you guidance on how to handle the problem and make room in their schedule to see you ASAP.
2. Gently Rinse Off Any Debris
Still holding the tooth by its crown, gently rinse off any dirt or debris that is clinging to it. Do not clean the tooth with soap or any liquid other than plain water. After you finish rinsing it, do not dry it, and do not wrap it in a cloth or tissue.
3. Store the Tooth Properly
Once the tooth is clean, try to place it back in its socket. Storing it in your mouth, whether in your socket or between your cheek and gums, may lengthen its viability and increase the chances that it can be saved.
If you cannot store the tooth in your mouth, place it in a glass of milk or use a tooth preservation kit from a local pharmacy. The key is to keep it moist! (Try not to use plain water for this purpose because it could damage the tooth’s sensitive root cells.)
4. Visit Your Dentist
The sooner you can visit your dentist, the better. Ideally, you would receive care within 30 – 60 minutes of losing the tooth. If it is still viable when you arrive at your dentist’s office, it might be possible for your care team to splint it back into place. Over time, your body may reintegrate it.
If replanting the tooth is not possible, your dental team will simply care for any wounds in your mouth and let you know about your tooth replacement options.
A knocked out tooth can be a scary emergency, but if you keep a cool head and act quickly, you might be able to spare your smile from a brand new gap!
Meet the Practice
At All Dental in Watertown, we strive to see emergency patients ASAP. We even have weekend and evening appointments available to accommodate the busy schedules of people in our community. If you are dealing with an urgent oral health problem and are eager to find compassionate, high-quality care, contact us at 617-924-9993.