There are plenty of dental issues you can work to prevent, like decay, infection, and gum disease. But other dental health problems can occur unexpectedly, no matter how well you care for your teeth and gums. A knocked-out tooth is a great example.
Cheng H. Tai, DDS, strives to help those in his care maintain healthy, happy smiles. That includes treating knocked-out teeth.
While Dr. Tai provides prompt, high-quality care from his Midtown Manhattan, New York, office, the steps you take in the moments after having a tooth knocked out can improve your chances of successful reimplantation.
So, let’s go over the optimal ways to respond to a knocked-out tooth, either for yourself or on behalf of someone else.
The root portion of your tooth, normally protected by your gum tissue, contains living cells. For a tooth to be reimplanted in its socket and survive, those cells need to remain in place.
Once a tooth is knocked out, the clock begins ticking. Act quickly by following these steps, then head to our office right away. You should also call ahead to ensure we’re open and let us know you’re coming.
Locate the knocked-out tooth and pick it up as quickly as possible. Try to touch only the crown portion of the tooth — the surface that’s normally visible.
If there’s any visible dirt or debris on the tooth, quickly rinse it under a very gentle stream of lukewarm water. Don’t subject the tooth to high-pressure water or water that’s too hot or too cold. And don’t rinse any longer than is necessary to get it clean.
The very best option is to gently place the tooth back in its socket. Be sure to grasp the tooth only by the crown portion, and gently push the roots back into the socket. You can then bite down on a piece of clean gauze or cloth to keep the tooth in place, or hold it in place with your finger.
For adults, placing the tooth between the cheek and gums is an option. This ensures the tooth remains in the same environment it came from, and that the cells on the root portion remain moist, which improves the chances of successful reimplantation. For children, use milk or a tooth‑preservation solution instead.
One more approach is to place the tooth in a small container and cover it with lukewarm water or milk. This is another way to keep the living cells moist and protect the tooth from additional harm.
No matter how you choose to secure the avulsed (knocked-out) tooth, you should take immediate steps to reach Dr. Tai’s office to begin the reimplantation process.
Our team strives to provide top-quality dental care to the patients who rely on us. That includes emergency dental services such as reimplantation of a knocked-out tooth.
If you encounter a knocked-out tooth, following the steps listed above can improve your chances of saving the tooth. That said, in many cases, it’s not possible to save an avulsed tooth. If that’s the case, we can discuss tooth replacement options.
Call our office to discuss your immediate care needs. Keep in mind that online booking is always an option for less time-sensitive scheduling tasks.
