Tooth Avulsion

HELP! I HAVE A TOOTH AVULSION! WHAT SHOULD I DO? What if you, your child or someone you know has just had their tooth knocked out. What should you do? When an event has occurred that causes a tooth avulsion, also known as dental trauma, time is of the essence if you want to help save the tooth. Therefore, educating yourself about exactly what needs to be done when someone loses a tooth could mean the difference between actually saving or losing that tooth. This information only applies to permanent teeth. Primary teeth don't need to be dealt with in this way. THE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING A TOOTH AVULSION IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE EVENT HAS OCCURRED

1. The lost tooth will need to be replanted immediately; therefore, it's important to keep the injury victim as calm as possible.
2. Quickly search the area for the displaced tooth.
3. When picking up the tooth, be careful to avoid touching the root; otherwise, you could crush the cells of the tooth's root. You should carefully pick up the tooth by its crown. The crown is the white enamel part of the tooth that show's in the mouth.
4. Try to avoid cleaning the displaced tooth unless absolutely necessary. If cleaning the tooth must be done, try using saline to gently rinse the tooth for about 10 seconds. If saline isn't available, water can be used.
5. Now you will need to place the tooth back into its original position, then have the injury victim bite on a handkerchief to hold the tooth in place.
6. If you are not able to replant the tooth, you will need to properly store the tooth until you reach an emergency dental facility.
7. The best storage option, if the injury victim is an adult, is to have them place the tooth between their molars and the inside of their cheek. Don't use this storage method if you are dealing with a young child as they could easily swallow the tooth. The next best option is to have the injury victim spit some saliva into a container where you can temporarily store the tooth.
8. If the above method is not possible, place the tooth into a suitable storage medium such as physiologic saline or milk. Only whole milk should be used when storing the tooth in milk.
9. Never store the tooth in water or ice as either of those sources could damage the tooth's root cells.
10. Now you will need to seek emergency dental treatment immediately! Remember - time is of the essence if you want to save the tooth.

Dealing with a tooth avulsion can be stressful; therefore, it's of the utmost importance that you learn exactly what needs to be done to save a tooth before an event occurs. Our dental practice in Mentor, Ohio can help you or your loved one whom have had a tooth knocked out. Our Doctors are very experienced with dealing with this type of dental trauma. Please call our officetoday!