If you are taking regular care of your teeth and keeping regular dental visits for healthy cleanings, good for you! Your pearly whites are happy to receive all that diligent attention. But you can’t always prevent everything, and there are times when you might accidently experience trauma to the mouth and incur unexpected tooth loss.
Major tooth injuries, like the ones an unlucky athlete might experience during a sports injury to the mouth causing tooth loss, will require immediate attention. Minor injuries can also arise, such as biting down too hard during a meal with your family and unexpectedly chipping a tooth! But while a minor injury may affect how your smile looks, it is something that your dentist can help repair without requiring immediate attention.
If your tooth does fall out, for whatever reason, the most important thing to do is stay calm. You want to slow the bleeding, if there is any, with some sterile moist gauze, and you want to keep the tooth itself moist. You may gently rinse your mouth with salt water, to help clean the area, and possibly put a cold compress to the outside of your mouth.
If you can transport the lost tooth in milk, and handle it by the crown, not the roots. If you don’t have milk in the fridge, you can also use your saliva. The most important thing to remember is keeping the tooth moist. You can gently place the lost tooth in your mouth where the tooth was, or even between the gums and cheeks while driving to the dental office.
If you can get to the dentist within an hour, that will help save the tooth and also help prevent a socket infection. You can also go to your local emergency room for care if our dental office is closed.
Above all, stay calm, and know that we will do everything we can to help save your precious tooth and your smile!