Saving a Knocked Out Tooth

An accident or blow to the mouth may cause a tooth to become dislodged. If you play sports, you are especially at risk of having a tooth knocked out. You might want to try and save the tooth, if possible. There are a few things you must keep in mind in order to do this.


To save your tooth, you obviously must have it in your possession. The tooth should never be handled by the root, as it can be damaged in this way. Should the tooth need cleaning, using milk would be the best option. Water should only be used if milk is not available, and the tooth should not be wiped with any type of cloth.

A trip must be made immediately to the emergency dentist in order to give the tooth its best chance of being saved. If the tooth can be placed back in its proper position in the mouth, that would be very beneficial. If that cannot be done, then the tooth should at least be soaking in milk until the dentist can take care of emergency treatment.

At the dental office, a splint will be applied to the tooth. After root canal therapy has been performed on it, which is approximately two weeks later, ligaments should form and attach to the tooth, thereby saving it.

Even after the best efforts, the tooth may still be lost. But by taking the above steps, the tooth stands its best chance of being preserved.

Source: Cosmetic Dentist Los Angeles
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