Saving a Knocked Out Tooth

Dental emergencies can be quite frightening, especially when they involve direct trauma to your teeth. While a tooth needs repair if it gets cracked, chipped or broken, there are immediate steps you should take if it gets knocked out completely. In fact, time is of the essence if you want to save an avulsed (knocked out) tooth. Therefore, it is best to know these actions ahead of time.

Regardless of whether it was a bad fall or a foul ball, follow these steps to increase your chances of re-implanting a fully dislodged tooth:

Call your dentist immediately. You’ll need to let your emergency dentist know what happened and arrange for a prompt visit.

Handle the tooth with care. Don’t pick up or hold the avulsed tooth by the roots.

Rinse carefully. If the tooth is dirty, rinse it with water or milk. Avoid wiping it with a paper towel, washcloth or other item.

Keep the tooth moist. Whatever you do, don’t let the tooth dry out. The first option is to put it in your cheek. However, this may not be advisable if the emergency involves a child. In such cases, you may store it in a cup of saliva or milk. Water may be sufficient as well if milk or spit is not available.

At Pure Smiles Dentistry, we are proud to offer emergency dentistry to patients of all ages. For those that bring their knocked out tooth with them to the office, we will do everything we can to place it back in the socket for reattachment. If we think it is possible, we will splint the tooth for a period of time and then monitor its re-implantation into the underlying bone and tissues. It may take up to three or four weeks if there was not any surrounding damage. Don’t hesitate to call our Marietta team with your urgent dental issues!