While you try to protect your mouth and your children’s mouths at all times, accidents do happen. Maybe you’re working in the garage and you slip with a tool and it comes back to hit you in the face. Perhaps your children are playing outside and they fall down or a ball hits them in the face unexpectedly. Whatever the accident, you now have a tooth that is knocked out of your mouth. What can you do? Can you save the tooth itself?

 

Here at LB Dental we offer emergency dental care services and want to provide you with the tips you need before you come to the office. These tips can help you to preserve your tooth and hopefully save it to be placed back into your mouth. While these are great tips to consider and follow, be aware that sometimes, the tooth simply can not be saved. So keep these in mind if you have an accident and are looking at your tooth on the ground in front of you instead of in your mouth.

 

Locate and Pick Up the Tooth

Make sure you find the tooth as soon as possible. When you do discover the location, pick the tooth up by the chewing surface, or the crown, and not the root itself. You do not want to injure the root of the tooth anymore than it has been already. Pick up the tooth by the crown only.

 

Gently Rinse

If you notice dirt and debris on the tooth, gently rinse the tooth with tap water. Do not scrub the tooth or put chemicals on the tooth as it can cause irreparable damage. Try not to dry the tooth off with anything or wrap it in a cloth or towel. This can cause damage to the tooth and you want to keep it moist until you get to the office.

 

What Do I do with the tooth until I get to your dental office?

First, call us! Then, place the tooth in a small container of milk to preserve it. Do not scrub or clean the tooth, or handle it more than necessary. It’s important to see us within 30 minutes, if possible.

 

Get to the Office As Soon As Possible

If at all possible, you need to get to the office within 30 minutes of the tooth being knocked out. That is the best time possible to save the tooth and hopefully replace it in the socket. The longer you go, the less likely it will be able to be repaired. Call the office on your way so that they can know when the tooth was knocked out and have a spot open and ready for your repair.

 

These are just a few of the tips you should keep in mind for emergency care when your tooth is knocked out. Things happen. Accidents take place. If you keep these tips in mind and close by, you can minimize the damage caused to the tooth.