We rely on our teeth to help us break down our food, and when one goes missing, it can make this task all the more difficult. Teeth are hard structures, but as durable as they are, they can still be knocked out from a traumatic experience. Whether a person suffers a sports injury, gets in a fight or loses a tooth from dental decay or disease, it is important to seek medical attention from a local emergency dentist. In some cases it is possible for the tooth that was knocked out to be reinserted into the jaw, so it is important to act quickly. If you happen to lose a tooth for whatever reason, follow the steps below for your best chance at saving the tooth:
- Try to Find the Missing Tooth – The first thing to do after losing a tooth, provided that you are in a condition to do so, is to try to find the missing tooth. As was stated above, there is a good chance of saving the tooth, but you need to find it in order to do so. If you are able to find the tooth, be sure to pick it up only by the crown and not the root. The crown is the part of the tooth that is visible inside your mouth, or the part of the tooth that you chew with.
- Clean the Tooth Off – As soon as a tooth is knocked out of your mouth, it is susceptible to all of the various germs and bacteria on the ground and surrounding areas. Therefore, it is important to gently clean the tooth to get rid of any hazardous particles. You will only want to rinse the tooth off with water — don’t scrub it! If you are rinsing it in the sink, be sure to put a cover over the drain so that you don’t lose the tooth. Once it’s clean, you can try to gently put the tooth back in its socket, but don’t force it. If it won’t go back in, store the tooth in a small cup of milk for the time being.
- Call Your Local Emergency Dentist – Losing a tooth is considered a dental emergency, so you will want to make an emergency dentist appointment as soon as possible. Ideally, you will want to try to get to your regular local dentist office, but if they are not open or can’t get you in that day, try to find emergency dentistry services elsewhere. A local emergency dentist will be able to assess the damage to your tooth and the tissue surrounding the socket. If the tooth is ok, they should be able to reinsert it for you and eventually restore it to its natural state.
Losing a tooth is an awful experience, but if you follow the steps above you might be able to save the tooth and get back your full set of teeth. More like this article.