Emergency Dentist Shares 3 Steps to Take If Your Tooth Is Knocked Out
Losing a tooth can be exceptionally traumatic, especially if you are in public when it happens or if you’re concerned about other injuries. Fortunately, emergency dentists can help you to restore form and function to your tooth if you do the right things before your visit.
3 Ways to Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth
Don’t Panic
Although it can be stressful to realize you have lost a tooth, don’t panic. Instead, focus on stopping any bleeding, telling another person what happened, and getting to your emergency dentist as soon as possible. To alleviate dental pain, place an ice pack on your jaw over the affected area. In addition to soothing pain, ice can also help to prevent swelling, which could interfere with tooth reattachment.
Find the Fragments
After you have pain and bleeding under control, focus on finding any knocked out teeth and fragments. When you find the tooth pieces, handle them by the crown, and never touch the inner pulp of the tooth. Doing this could damage the tiny capillaries of the tooth, creating problems later.
Preserve Your Tooth
For your tooth to reattach successfully, it needs to reestablish its own blood supply. Unfortunately, if you leave your tooth dry until your appointment, it could allow blood inside of the pulp chamber to clot. To prevent this natural occurrence, keep the tooth fragment in either a glass of fresh milk, clean water, or a save-a-tooth kit.
If you deal with an avulsed tooth, contact an emergency dentist from Four Corners Dental Group. The sooner you have your tooth treated, the more likely it will be to heal. For everything from emergency dental care to routine appointments, call (907) 258-3384 for the Anchorage office or (907) 376-2790 for the Wasilla location. You can also visit the website to learn more about the services available.