Mouth injuries/accident may dislodge your teeth, but what happens if you find your front teeth knocked out? You need to act fast to save your knocked out teeth before you can visit the dentist. Remember to follow the steps below to help save your tooth.
Collect the tooth
A knocked out tooth should be handled delicately. When picking up the tooth with your hand, make sure you don’t touch the root, just hold it from the crown (upper part).
Clean the tooth
If the tooth had some dirt when you picked it, you would need to clean it. Use lukewarm water to rinse if for no more than 10 sec. Don’t attempt to wipe/wrap the tooth using any fabric. This may damage the root and prevent re-implantation.
Store/re-position the tooth
Here, you need to try and re-position the tooth right into its position. Don’t force it, but place it gently, ensure you put it in the right way. If by any case the tooth does not fit in, store it in a moist place, probably milk. The knocked out teeth should at all times remain moist whether in your mouth or stored.
See the dentist
After you have concluded the above steps, it does not mean that your tooth is safe. You need to visit a dentist immediately within 1 hour to avoid more damage to the tooth. The dentist will examine the tooth properly and prescribe the right medication to help you heal.
If the tooth had no fractures during re-implantation, it would take about four weeks to reattach itself firmly. You will still need to visit your dentist after six months of re-implantation to examine whether there were bacterial infections to that tooth.
Knocked out permanent tooth does not mean it has gone forever. You can save it by following the procedure above and avail yourself to your dentist in the shortest time possible. This will improve the odds of having your tooth back.
