What Can Knock Out Your Tooth
Knocked-out teeth most often result from trauma to the face or jaw.
If you are dealing with knocked-out teeth, take the following steps:
1. Locate the tooth and pick it up by the crown.
Immediately after you lose your tooth, you'll want to find it right away. You'll need to be very careful and pick up the tooth by the crown, which is the part that is exposed above thegum line.
2. Gently rinse the tooth with water if it’s dirty.
Use only water to rinse any debris or dirt from the tooth. Avoid using chemicals or soap. Do not scrub or dry the tooth, or wrap it in cloth or tissue, as any of these actions may result in damage.
3. If you can, place the tooth back in its socket.
If you can, you'll want to place the tooth back into the socket it fell out of as quickly as possible. You can try to gently push it in (continuing to touch the crown only, not the root). Another option is to try positioning it above the socket.
Close your mouth slowly to push it in. Using a finger, hold the tooth in place. You might also bite down on it.
4. Keep the tooth moist.
If you’re unable to place the tooth back in its socket, it must be kept moist until you get to the dentist. Place it in a cup of milk, or keep it in your mouth next to your cheek. Avoid storing it in regular tap water, as the root surface cells will not be able to tolerate water for an extended period of time.
Using this method of preserving a tooth may increase the likelihood of your dentist being able to replace it.
5. Within 30 minutes of the injury, get to your dentist’s office.
If you want the best chance at reattaching your knocked-out tooth, you should get to the dentist within about 30 minutes of having the tooth knocked out. However, in some cases, it may still be possible for your dentist to save a tooth if it has been outside the mouth for an hour or more.
How can I prepare for a dental emergency at home?
Dental emergencies don't wait for convenient times to happen. There are some things you can do at home to prepare in case you experience one.
Keep these things around the house at all times, as they are handy to have in a dental emergency:
- Over-the-counter painkiller (such as ibuprofen)
- Gauze
- Small container with lid to preserve a knocked-out tooth
- Ice pack
- The phone number of our Whitehorse dentist’s office
Type "dentist near me" into your favourite search engine, and our information will likely come up. As soon as you feel safe and are able to call our office, do so. We will make room in our schedule to see you as soon as possible.