Having your tooth knocked out can be quite painful, and sometimes so fast that it’s merely sore. Depending upon your situation, you may feel varying levels of pain. However, the question always comes up, “Can I save my tooth if it has been knocked out?”
If you find yourself with a tooth that has been knocked out, don’t panic. Your dentist can most likely put your avulsed tooth back.
However, there are steps that need to be taken quickly in order to save your tooth after your tooth has fallen out of your mouth. We’ve put together an easy-to-follow guide to saving a knocked out tooth.
What to do if a tooth has been knocked out
- The first thing to note is that in order to preserve your tooth for the dentist, you need to have it treated as quickly as possible;
- Rinse off the tooth to remove dirt and debris, but do not scrub it;
- Keep the tooth in your mouth between your cheek and gum, but DO NOT TRY TO PUT IT BACK;
- If you can’t keep the tooth in your mouth, wrap it in a clean cloth and submerge in milk;
- If it’s during normal business hours, drive straight to the dentist for re-implantation;
- If it’s after hours, call our office and leave a message and we’ll get back to you quickly.
What happens when your tooth is knocked out
Interested in knowing what happened inside your mouth when your tooth was knocked out? The blood vessels, nerves, and tissues surrounding the tooth suffer severe damage. They can typically all be repaired, but the patient will require root canal therapy. Root canal therapy is where the bone will be reconnected to the tooth root once it’s back in place. This is easier on younger patients, and fairly common in children and teenagers. Just remember that we never try to reposition baby teeth. While root canal therapy on adults is more difficult, it’s still fairly common.
