Causes & Treatments of a Knocked Out Tooth
A knocked out or avulsed tooth occurs as the result of an injury, accident, or trauma to the mouth. When a tooth is knocked out, it can literally come out of your mouth as it has broken loose from the roots, nerves, and blood vessels that hold it in place. This is a severe injury that requires fast action to save the tooth.
What to do when your tooth is knocked out
As soon as your tooth is knocked out, it's important to keep it clean and to get to a dentist quickly.
If your tooth falls out in one piece, you can rinse it off and try to insert it back into the tooth socket. Doing this helps preserve your tooth, but be gentle and don't force the tooth if it doesn't fit. If you can only find part of your tooth, do not insert any part of the tooth into your gum.
Keeping your tooth in milk or a saline solution will help preserve it until you can get to a dentist. Once you're at your dentist, they will clean the tooth and area and try to reimplant the tooth.
Treatment
Reimplanting your tooth can be as simple as your dentist slipping it back into its socket. First, they will give you a local anesthetic to numb the area, and then after a thorough cleaning, they will reinsert the tooth. Next, your dentist will splint your tooth to keep it stable until it has healed. This healing takes between two to eight weeks.
In some cases, your dentist might choose to perform a root canal on the tooth while it is still outside your mouth. This will help prevent infection and will have you need a root canal later.
If there is too much damage, your dentist could decide not to reimplant your tooth. They may recommend instead that you let the wound heal and then explore options such as a titanium implant, crown, or bridge.
Long-term effects
If your tooth is reimplanted, it's important to keep an eye out for:
Bleeding
Pain
Swelling
Discoloration
These are signs that your implant could fail or that there is an infection growing in the wound. If you see these symptoms, contact your dentist for instructions.
Prevention
We can't prevent every accident that could cause a tooth to fall out, but we can use some protection during sports and other activities. Wearing a mouth guard helps protect your teeth and soft tissues like your cheeks, lips, and tongue. You can have your mouthguard custom-made or buy one in most pharmacies.
How can we help?
At Charlotte Dental Implant Center, we're here to help with your dental emergencies. From treating the initial injury to providing extractions, root canals, and implants, we offer several services to give you the best oral care. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (704) 324-8612 or contact us today.