A knocked out tooth is one of the most serious dental emergencies. However, if you act quickly, and get to our Edmonton office as soon as possible, we may be able to save the tooth.
If you have a knocked-out tooth, it's crucial that you get to our office within 30 minutes to an hour after it is knocked out. If a knocked-out tooth is put back into place soon enough after it falls out, it may be able to re-attach to the jaw bone.
If you have a knocked out tooth try to find it and get to our dental office right away.
If you are able to find the tooth, pick it up by the crown, taking care to avoid touching the root. If the tooth is soiled, rinse it with milk or water. Place it back in the socket if you can, and bite down gently to hold it in place.
If you cannot place the tooth back in the socket, keep it moist by placing it in a container of milk (not water), or keeping it in the cheek of your mouth until you get to our office.
Your dentist will evaluate the condition of the tooth, and then place it back in its socket and examine your face, jaw, mouth and neck for other injuries.
Depending on how long the tooth was out of your mouth, as well as some other factors, the dentist will either perform a root canal right away, or place a stabilizing splint and start root canal treatment a week or two later.
If the tooth cannot be saved, the dentist will discuss other treatment options with you.
The odds of saving a permanent tooth are highest in young children, but adult teeth can often be saved as well.
The sooner you get to the dentist's office, the more likely it is that the dentist will be able to successfully re-attach the tooth.
Re-implantation of baby teeth is not generally needed or recommended. That being said, if one of your child's baby teeth is knocked out locate the tooth right away to eliminate the possibility of choking.
Bring your child to the dentist as soon as possible, so that the dentist can evaluate your child's smile, and determine whether a space maintainer is required.
Provided that the bone around the tooth was not fractured, the root will normally reattach to the bone in about 3 to 4 weeks.
If you have more extensive damage, it may require 6 to 8 weeks to heal.
Your dentist will ask you to attend a followup appointment after about 3 to 6 months.
After that, unless there are signs of infection or other problems, the next visit will occur at your regular annual checkup.
Your dentist will continue to monitor the tooth for the next 2 to 3 years to ensure that the tooth re-implanted successfully.
Dental emergencies always happen when you least expect them. Our friendly and experienced dental team is on call to assist you when you need us most.
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