No matter what type of dental trauma has happened, immediate treatment will give you the best chance of a great long term outcome.
What to do if an adult tooth is knocked out?
If an adult or permanent tooth is knocked out, remain calm and act quickly. It is best to try to see your dentist within 30 minutes.
If you know it is an adult tooth, follow these steps:
- Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown, not the root surface. The crown is the part of the tooth that can be seen inside the mouth. The root holds the tooth to the jawbone and it cannot usually be seen without a dental x-ray.
- If the tooth is dirty, gently rinse it in milk or saline. Do not scrub the tooth.
- Place the tooth in the empty space in the mouth where the tooth was located before. Make sure it is facing the correct way.
- Gently bite down on soft cloth or tissue to hold the tooth in place until you see the dentist.
- If you cannot place the tooth back in the mouth, place it safely in a container and cover the tooth with milk or the person’s own saliva. Do not transport the tooth in water or wrapped up in a tissue or cloth.
Having treatment as soon as possible can help to improve the long-term outcome so don’t delay, get in touch as soon as you can.
What to do if a baby tooth is knocked out?
If your child knocks out a baby tooth, the tooth should not be placed back in the mouth. Stay calm and bring your child and the tooth to us, at Renew Dental Lounge. We will check to make sure that no other damage to the bone, lips, cheeks or other teeth has occurred.
If you are unsure whether the tooth is a baby or adult tooth, follow these steps:
- Pick up the tooth by the crown. This is the part of the tooth that is visible in the mouth.
- Place the tooth in milk or the person’s own saliva to transport it to the dentist as soon as possible.
Do not worry if only part of the tooth root is present. Older children may not have much tooth root left on their baby tooth as the tooth might have been getting ready to fall out naturally. The baby tooth’s root starts to disappear as the adult tooth pushes its way into the mouth to become loose before falling out. If part of the tooth root is missing, we will check that this is what has happened. We may need to take a x-ray to check everything is where it should be.
Other Dental Injuries
Injuries to the face and mouth can affect one or more teeth. These teeth can be affected by the following ways.
Teeth have been moved from their normal position
The tooth or teeth may be pushed back up into the gum, pushed backwards or sideways. Try to move the teeth gently back to their original position and softly close the front teet on a cloth or tissue.
Teeth are cracked, chipped, or fractured
If you can find the fractured tooth fragment, bring it with you when you come to see us at Renew Dental Lounge. Sometimes we can reattach the broken piece to the rest of the tooth.
Teeth become loose
One of the causes of a tooth or teeth becoming tooth is a fracture. At Renew Dental Lounge we’ll find what has happened and then give you the best options for treatment.
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