What You Should Do When Your Tooth Is Knocked Out

You never expect to have a tooth knocked out of your smile, but unfortunately, this is a reality that millions and millions of people in America have to face through absolutely no fault of their own.

Car accidents, collisions in sports, and just day-to-day life can leave you with a gap in your smile. Each year, close to 5 million teeth are knocked out of the smiles of Americans. If you’re one of the unlucky individuals to know this firsthand it’s important to move through the dental trauma process quickly to restore your smile back to better than brand-new condition. Here at Bay Area OSM we can help! Here’s what you’ll want to do if your tooth is knocked out.

HOW TO PRESERVE A KNOCKED-OUT TOOTH

The first thing you want to do is (obviously) find the tooth itself. Depending on how you lost the tooth in the first place this might be the toughest part of the puzzle, but you obviously won’t be able to save the tooth if you aren’t able to locate it in the first place. It’s also critical that you only ever touch the crown of your tooth when you pick it up. Touching the root may damage the tooth and stop it from being preserved.

Secondly, you’ll want to gently rinse your tooth with nothing but clean water.

Do not use any soap, do not use any chemicals, and don’t even use any toothpaste or mouthwash to clean the tooth. You also don’t want to store the tooth in gauze, tissue, or any other material whatsoever.

Instead, you’ll want to store your tooth in your mouth!

Yes, as you make your way to our experts here at Bay Area OSM, you’ll want to gently tuck your tooth back into its socket (if possible) or sneak it between your gums and your cheek. If you aren’t able to do that you’ll want to put your tooth into a small, sealed up container that’s been filled with milk.

Make sure that you don’t use water as prolonged exposure can cripple the health of your tooth completely.

Finally, you’ll want to make sure that you see oral and maxillofacial surgeons like our own here at Bay Area OSM just as quickly as humanly possible after losing your tooth. It’s best if you can get to an oral surgeon inside of 30 minutes, as the faster you respond the better your odds of saving your tooth becomes.

Have someone call ahead and tell our office that you are coming up with a missing tooth emergency and that you’re trying to preserve your tooth as best you can to speed the process up. Our team will be ready to move the minute that you arrive, helping to do everything we can to make sure that your smile is repaired and ready to go ASAP.

If you have had your tooth knocked out or would like more information about preserving a missing tooth, contact us today here at Bay Area OSM for more details or emergency solutions.