What To Do When You Lose A Tooth

You do not need to be an athlete to lose a tooth. It can happen to anyone at a time when you least expect it. Your child could be roughhousing with a friend, or you could take an unexpected slip and fall on hard pavement. Thankfully, if a tooth is not salvageable there are plenty of options for replacing it that range from dental implants to bridges. If you take the following steps to help save the tooth, it hopefully will never come to that.

Keep Calm And Locate Your Tooth

When you lose a tooth, your first instinct might be to panic about what just happened. You need to keep calm and focus on finding the missing tooth. If you lost it in a sport related accident, tell everybody to stop moving and help you look. If someone accidentally steps on the tooth and breaks it, you will not be able to save it.

Pick Up Your Tooth Safely

When you find the missing tooth, you will need to avoid touching it by its root. It can damage the tooth, and cause an infection later on. Always grab a tooth by the crown, which is the part of the tooth you use to chew.

Clean Your Tooth

You shouldn't scrub your tooth, clean it with toothpaste, or wipe the tooth off with a cloth. Instead, rinse it underneath running water for just a couple seconds. The goal is to remove debris and keep your tooth moist. If your tooth's root or crown dries out, the chance of saving the tooth is greatly reduced.

Keep The Tooth Moist

The easiest way to keep a tooth moist is to put it back inside your mouth. You can put it back into the same socket, as it will do its job at keeping it moist. If you are unable to do that, you can put it in a container of milk.

Visit A Dentist Immediately

A missing tooth is not something that should wait until the next available appointment. You should visit an emergency dentist like Silverado Family Dental that can reinsert the tooth back into the socket for you. The longer you wait, the lower the chance of saving the tooth will be.

If you've done everything mentioned, you will be giving yourself the best chance of saving the tooth. Always remember that there is no guarantee that the tooth can be saved. You may need a cosmetic procedure done to restore the natural look of your lost tooth.