Compared to cavities or gum disease, a knocked-out tooth may seem like a hopeless problem. Most folks panic or assume they’ve suffered permanent damage when faced with this issue. Even so, you mustn’t give in to fear; there are restorative steps you can take when you knock out a tooth. These measures have the power to save your pearly white, thus bringing your full smile back. To learn about them, read over this helpful summary from your Las Vegas dentist.
1. Find & Rinse the Tooth
Before anything else, you should find the now-lost tooth and rinse it. Leaving it at the accident site will only make the situation worse.
You must handle the tooth carefully once you’ve found it. In particular, make sure you only touch or hold it by the crown; touching a tooth’s roots will damage them. Another vital point is to only use water for the rinsing process, as soap or chemicals would harm the pearly white. (You must also avoid scrubbing, drying, and wrapping the tooth in a tissue or cloth.)
2. Reposition the Tooth (if Possible)
When the found tooth is clean, try to put it back into its socket. You can still salvage the situation if you can’t, but this repositioning would help.
Getting the tooth “back in” is a fairly simple process. While holding it by the crown, just push the tooth in with your fingers and position it above the socket. You can then close your mouth slowly to secure it with a bite, or hold it in place with your fingers.
3. Keep the Tooth Moist
Whether or not you reposition the tooth, you must absolutely keep it moist. Doing so goes a long way toward successfully saving it.
The truth is that a tooth “dies” more quickly when it’s completely dry. In other words, you’re less likely to save it if you don’t maintain its moisture in some way. The good news is that you can keep a tooth moist by putting it in your mouth or an emergency tooth preservation kit. Either way, you mustn’t put it in regular tap water; the latter kills the root surface cells of teeth.
4. Get the Tooth to an Emergency Dentist
With the tooth found, cleansed, and moist, take it to an emergency dentist as soon as possible. Quality dental treatment can put it back in its socket for good.
It’s best to see an emergency dentist within 30 minutes of knocking out your tooth. Past the 30-minute mark, you face lower odds of saving your pearly white. That said, there’s still a chance you can save the tooth even if it’s been outside the mouth for an hour or more.
If you follow these steps when you knock out a tooth, your smile will be in much better shape. You can go back to enjoying your day-to-day life!
About the Practice
Advent Dental is based in Las Vegas, NV. Led by Dr. Maxwell Hejazi, our practice believes in helping your precious, unique, and natural teeth last your whole life. We thus offer minimally invasive treatments, which range from the preventive and cosmetic to the restorative. Our team is also equipped to handle dental emergencies, including knocked-out teeth! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (702)-804-0153.