If you have just had one of your teeth knocked out, you may wonder whether or not your tooth can be reinserted by your dentist. While it is possible for a tooth to be saved, one of the key things you need to do is to keep it moist until it can be examined. As soon as possible after having it knocked out, use one or more of the following tips for keeping your tooth moist.
Handle the Tooth as Little as Possible
When your tooth gets knocked out, your first impulse is most likely to pick it off of the ground. However, before you pick it up, take a moment to consider how you should pick it up, as touching the tooth too much or in the wrong place could dry it out.
If you touch the roots of the tooth with your fingers, your skin and the oils on it draws moisture out of the tooth. Besides running the risk of breaking off the roots, you may end up drying them out. If this happens, your dentist may not be able to save it.
Instead of picking up the tooth randomly and risking accidental contact with the roots, use your fingertips to carefully pick up the tooth by the crown. However, before picking it up, select the means by which you plan to keep the tooth moist, as described in the following sections, to keep yourself from holding onto the tooth for too long.
Put the Tooth Back in the Socket, If Possible
One way you can keep your tooth moist and protected is to place it back in the empty socket from which it was dislodged. While the tooth will not actively receive moisture, blood, and nutrients while in the socket, your saliva and any blood will moisten and nourish it until it is permanently reinserted.
However, there are a few instances where reinserting the tooth for temporary holding is not advisable. If you are bleeding a lot or have torn the gum, placing the dislodged tooth in the socket could cause further soft tissue damage. Also, if parts of the tooth remain in the gums, replacing the tooth could push the fragments further into the gums, causing more trauma in your mouth.
If you start to replace the tooth and feel resistance, do not try to force the tooth into the socket. Also, if you experience an increase in pain, there may be cuts or fragments you cannot see. Instead of trying to place the tooth back into the socket, go on to the next section for an alternative method of keeping your tooth moist.
Use Your Own Saliva to Moisten the Tooth
Even if you are unable to resocket your tooth, you can still utilize the saliva in your mouth to keep it moist. There are two ways of doing this, depending on how much damage your mouth has sustained.
If the injury is localized around the tooth's socket, place the tooth between your cheek and bottoms gums on the opposite side of your mouth. Since your mouth will produce extra saliva when the glands detect something inside, extra saliva will be produced that you can push towards the tooth to keep it covered.
However, if you have multiple injuries in your mouth, placing the tooth inside your cheek may worsen other damaged areas. Instead, place the tooth in a small container with a lid, and spit out as much as you can to cover the tooth. As more saliva is produced, you can keep adding more to the tooth until you can see your dentist.
While taking steps to keep your tooth moist, make arrangements to get to your dentist within 30 minutes to increase the chances having it successfully reinserted. If your dentist is not available, either go to an emergency room or another facility that handles dental emergencies so you can be seen and treated as soon as possible.
For more tips, check out websites like http://schillingfarmsdental.com and talk to your dentist.
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