A knocked-out tooth can be quite distressing to experience but by taking quick action, you will be able to save the tooth so that it can be implanted successfully. We will give you tips on how you can do this if you or somebody you know experiences this.
A knocked-out tooth is also called
An avulsed tooth and you will need to go to emergency dental care Cleveland to resolve this. You have to be very quick when it comes to a knocked-out tooth as your best chances of re-implanting it are within the first 30 minutes or hour after the injury. The chances of successful re-implantation will go down after this timeframe. You have to locate the tooth and then carefully handle it. This means, you should not be touching the tooth root which is the part of the tooth that is embedded in the gum. You have to touch it from the crown. This is because touching the root can damage the cells that you need to re-attach it. Sometimes the tooth can be dirty so you will need to gently rinse it. You can use milk if you have this at hand. This will help preserve the cells of the tooth. Water can be used instead if you cannot find milk. But the water has to be clean. You should never use alcohol, soap or any other cleaning agents. The tooth should not be scrubbed and try not to remove any tissue fragments attached to it.
You can reposition the tooth in the socket immediately.
You will need to insert the tooth into the socket carefully so that it is facing the right way. Once you feel that the tooth is in place, you can bite down on a clean gauze or piece of cloth gently so that you can hold the tooth in position. This is what will increase the chances of successful re-implantation. But in some cases, you will not be able to reposition the tooth. Try not to force it and focus on preserving the tooth instead. You have to keep the tooth moist until you can go to an emergency dentist. Therefore, the tooth can be placed in a container of milk, saliva from the injured person or saline solution so that the cells of the tooth can be kept alive. Sometimes you may not be able to do this. You can instead keep the tooth between the cheek and gums of the inured person’s mouth if they are conscious.
You need to have immediate medical care
Even if you have successfully repositioned the tooth. You can contact your dentist or call an emergency dental clinic as soon as possible. You can let them know when you can get there and the dentist will assess the condition of the tooth to decide what to do next. Once you go to the dentist, the socket and tooth will be cleaned so that they can attempt to re-implant the tooth. A splint may be used to stabilise the tooth. You need to have follow-up care after this initial treatment. Here may be antibiotics prescribed to prevent infection.
