It’s pretty easy to picture a theoretical situation – playing sports and catching an inadvertent elbow to the mouth comes to mind – where you get your tooth knocked out. It’s certainly not a pretty picture, and hopefully, it never happens.
But life is full of the unexpected, so it pays to be prepared. Keep reading to learn some steps to take from your emergency dentist if you ever suffer a knocked-out tooth in Frisco.
Pick Up the Tooth by the Crown, Not the Root
Locate your tooth immediately and be careful when you pick it up to only handle the crown aka chewing surface. Do not touch the root.
If Your Tooth Is Dirty, Rinse It with Water
Use only water to gently rinse off any dirt. Be sure not to use any soap or chemicals. Also, do not scrub or dry the tooth, and don’t wrap it in a tissue or cloth.
Reposition Your Tooth in the Socket ASAP
Try to put your tooth back into its socket immediately after you lose it. Gently push it in by handling the crown or position it above the socket and close your mouth slowly. Hold the tooth in place with your fingers or by gently biting down.
Keep Your Tooth Moist
The tooth must stay moist to preserve the root surface cells, preferably remaining in the socket. You can put it in your mouth next to your cheek, in an emergency tooth preservation kit, or even in cold, whole milk. If you regularly play sports, ask your dentist about purchasing one of these kits.
Do not use water since root surface cells cannot tolerate it for extended periods of time. Keeping the tooth in your own saliva is ideal.
Head to Your Dentist Quickly
Bring your tooth with you to your emergency appointment. It’s best to see your dentist within 30 minutes of the injury, but it is possible to save a tooth even if it has been outside the mouth for more than an hour.
A tooth lost due to an accident has a 90 percent chance of being saved if the proper procedure is followed. While dealing with a knocked-out tooth is never ideal, by having a plan in place involving your emergency dentist in Frisco you can remain calm during a stressful situation.
About the Practice
At Stonebriar Smile Design, we have four dentists with one common goal – to give our patients the chance to enjoy beautiful smiles along with healthy bodies for years to come. To that end, we work alongside other physicians to manage your overall health and well-being, and we have strived to ensure that our team is as highly trained as possible. If you’ve had a tooth knocked out, we want to help you. We have sedation to help you with the pain, flexible financing is available to make emergency care more affordable, and we are dedicated to providing treatment as soon as possible. Contact us on our website or by calling (469) 361-0081.
