Permanent teeth can become loose due to periodontal (gum) disease or advanced tooth decay. When a tooth is lost due to these conditions, it is often a gradual process, and your dentist might be able to provide advanced techniques to try and save it. When a tooth is lost to trauma, where it is knocked out or dislodged due to a blow to the mouth, the effect is immediate. Still, sometimes a permanent tooth can be saved by a dentist in Bowmanville, provided you seek professional dental care quickly.
Generally, the sooner you can see a dentist for emergency dental care, the better the chance of saving it, so if you knock out a tooth, see a dentist as soon as possible and ideally within the first half an hour to an hour after the accident. Milk or baby teeth cannot be reinserted, but if your kid takes a blow to the mouth that knocks out a tooth, still ensure they see their dentist quickly for emergency care.
Contact your dentist immediately, and here at West Bowmanville Family Dental, we can provide useful information over the phone and schedule an appointment with our dentist in Newcastle. In the meantime, follow the steps below to help improve the chances of saving the tooth.
- Retrieve the tooth by its crown, the part you normally see in the mouth and avoid touching the tooth root.
- If the tooth root is dirty, clean it gently with a little milk or lukewarm water, but don’t try it afterwards and do not try to remove any loose pieces of skin.
- If you can, carefully reinsert the tooth, ensuring it faces the right way around by pushing it back into the empty socket with clean fingers and without touching the tooth root. However, if this is too tricky, you must store the tooth so it remains moist.
- The best way to store a tooth is in a small container of milk or in saliva. You can also store the tooth in your mouth between your cheek and gums, but you need to take care because there is a risk you could swallow it. Water isn’t recommended to store knocked-out teeth, but if this is the only thing available, use lukewarm water with a small pinch of salt.
Once you have retrieved the tooth, see an emergency dentist in Clarington as soon as possible.
What to Expect When You See the Dentist?
If you have reinserted the tooth, your dentist must take a dental x-ray to ensure it is positioned correctly. They may also choose to splint the tooth to the teeth on either side. Depending on the damage, the splint may need to be left in place for a week to 10 days or sometimes for several weeks.
If the tooth was stored in a solution, your dentist will carefully clean it before reinserting it, first numbing your mouth so you feel comfortable. They will then ensure it is in the correct position by taking a dental x-ray before splinting the tooth.
You may need antibiotics after a tooth is reinserted; root canal therapy is sometimes required once the splint is removed.
What If I Can’t Find the Tooth?
If you can’t find the tooth, still make an appointment to see your dentist as soon as possible. They can assess the empty socket and discuss possible options for replacing it. It is essential to replace missing teeth as soon as possible; even losing a single tooth can negatively impact your remaining teeth.
Although losing a tooth can be a stressful and traumatic experience, you can rest assured there are several good ways to replace knocked-out teeth, including dental implants in Courtice or with a tooth-supported bridge.
