Your teeth are securely fixed in your jaw. Nonetheless, around five million teeth get knocked out annually. Children and adults have a nearly equal risk of knocking a tooth out, and the causes vary, ranging from sports accidents to falling off your bike to being involved in a car accident.
The experienced dentists at Dental Town DC in Washington, DC can save your tooth, but only if you take the appropriate steps to preserve it and get to their office quickly enough. Follow these steps to give yourself the best chances of saving a knocked-out tooth.
Don’t panic
Any injury that knocks out a tooth is bound to be shocking. That said, do your best to stay calm. You need to act fast to save your tooth, and panicking won’t help. If you handle the tooth correctly, you have approximately one hour of viability.
If you find and preserve your tooth, our dentists can potentially repair it and reimplant it in your jaw. Call our office immediately, letting us know what happened and that you’re on your way. We offer emergency dental services to treat situations like knocked-out or broken teeth.
Handle with care
First, find the broken piece of tooth or the knocked-out tooth. Take care to only touch the crown — that’s the part that’s visible while your tooth is securely in your jaw. Touching the root can damage your tooth and reduce your chances of saving it.
Next, rinse the tooth with bottled water or milk, but don’t scrub, scrape, or use alcohol on it.
It’s essential to keep your tooth moist. If possible, after rinsing your mouth out, gently place the tooth back into its socket. You can also nestle it between your cheek and gum or place the tooth in a small, sealed container of milk or a tooth preservation kit like “Save-A-Tooth.” Don’t put your tooth in tap water — exposure to the chemicals can damage it.
Once your tooth is clean and securely stored, make your way to our office.
Get dental treatment
As mentioned, it’s essential to see one of our dentists as soon as possible after your accident. The more quickly we can assess the situation and take action to save your tooth, the better your chances are of keeping it.
After we repair or reimplant your tooth, you should schedule a follow-up visit. This gives us an opportunity to check that your tooth has reattached to your jaw and provide any additional care. For example, a knocked-out tooth is vulnerable to internal decay, and some patients require root canals.
Also, if we can’t save your tooth, you don’t have to live with a gap in your smile. We offer a variety of options to replace missing teeth, including dental implants and bridges.
If you knock out a tooth or have another dental emergency that needs immediate professional treatment, call our office, or schedule a same-day appointment online.