No matter how careful we are, accidents can happen. Did you know for example that over 5 million teeth are dislodged each year in both adults and children?
This being the case, it’s important to be prepared for such an emergency. A trauma to the mouth or face may only leave you with a small injury such as a slight chip to your tooth enamel. However, sometimes it can leave you facing more serious issues such as dislodged teeth or a knocked out tooth.
While it’s true that a knocked out tooth can be successfully reimplanted, when such a scary dental emergency occurs, it’s our natural reaction to panic. That said, it’s crucial to act fast and there are a few important steps you must take in order to ensure that you get the best chance at saving your tooth. Let’s take a look at exactly what you need to do in this situation and what knocked out tooth treatment your dentist can then provide.
Aside from deep lacerations to your mouth or gums, knocking a tooth out and dislodged teeth are considered one of the most urgent dental emergencies and both require an extremely fast response. The technical term used in dentistry for a knocked out tooth is called ‘tooth avulsion.’ Avulsion comes from the Latin word ‘avellere’ meaning ‘to tear off.’ Remember, if you find yourself in this situation, call us immediately and make your over way to us as quickly as possible.
It’s worth noting that milk teeth which are knocked out in young children may not be viewed as a dental emergency as such because they’ll eventually be replaced by permanent ones.
Generally, the sooner your tooth is placed back into its socket once again, the better chance it has of surviving in the long-term. With that in mind, here are 5 important steps to take if you’ve suffered a knocked out tooth:
If you can find your tooth, pick it up by touching only the crown (this is the part that’s visible inside your mouth) and try not to touch the root. If you can’t see your tooth, try hard to find it. Although it’s really rare, it’s possible in some cases that it can accidentally be breathed into the lungs when a trauma occurs.
If your tooth comes flying out of your mouth during an impact onto the floor, or you notice that it’s visibly dirty, it’s natural to want to scrub it clean first. However, it’s really important not to scrub the tooth, especially not the root (which is the part that’s usually hidden underneath your gums) as this could lead to further damage to the tooth and drastically reduce the chances of successfully re-implanting it. It’s best to gently rinse the tooth with tap water, milk, saliva or a saline solution.
If you can, try to gently reinsert your dislodged teeth or tooth back into the sockets in your mouth and hold it there. It’s important that the tooth remains moist and doesn’t dry out. If you don’t feel confident, skip this and go straight to step 4.
A couple of other points worth mentioning are:
If for whatever reason you’re unable to re-insert the knocked out tooth back into your mouth, you need to make sure you keep it moist. In order to do this you can place the tooth in either:
Using regular tap water to preserve your tooth while you get to your dentist for knocked out tooth treatment isn’t recommended, as the root surface cells don’t tolerate being in the water for very long.
Get an appointment with us quickly (within 30 minutes if possible) and bring your tooth along with you.
Once you get to us we’ll be able to determine if your tooth looks in good enough condition to be saved and re-implanted. We’ll take some x-rays to check the bone, flush any debris away from the socket and then carefully reinsert the tooth back into the correct position in the socket.
Depending on your situation, we may carry out root canal there and then but whatever the case, we’ll splint your knocked out tooth to the teeth either side using a wire or composite resin material. This is to hold your tooth securely in position while it heals. Healing can take between 4-8 weeks, depending on whether the bone around the tooth was fractured or not.
Your smile is precious, so it’s important to care for it and protect it. To do this, always avoid using your teeth as tools. Never open bottles or packages with your teeth and avoid chewing ice cubes, hard sweets or anything stubborn that could crack a tooth. If you play rough contact sports make sure you wear a mouth guard! This helps to drastically minimise the chances of damage to your teeth but also your lips, cheek, and tongue.
Remember the key to saving your tooth is following the 5 steps listed and getting to your dentist quickly for knocked out tooth treatment. Here at Church Road Dental practice, we offer an out of hours dental emergency service where you can rest assured that you’re in the best possible hands with our experienced team. So if you find yourself suffering from dislodged teeth or a knocked out tooth, follow the advice above and then call us immediately on 0161 485 7376.
When it comes to problems with our oral health, often there are warning signs that you need to visit your emergency dentist in Manchester that shouldn’t be ignored. We only get one set of teeth and it’s important we take good care of them, not just for our dental health but also for our overall wellbeing.That being said, sometimes patients aren’t sure when to visit an emergency dental clinic. Manchester residents shouldn’t hesitate to call if suffering from any of the dental-related problems below.
An abscess occurs when a tooth is infected and can form very quickly. You may notice a painful swelling that’s filled with pus. It’s your body’s way of trying to contain the infection and stop it from spreading further. Symptoms include a severe toothache, fever, and facial swelling. An abscess won’t go away unless it’s treated, so don’t ignore the symptoms. With abscesses generally being quite painful, most people do seek treatment straight away.
Knocked out toothIf you have an accident in which your tooth is knocked out, it’s important to immediately visit our emergency dental clinic. Manchester patients may then be able to have the tooth successfully re-implanted into the socket, but only if you act quickly. For the best chance of saving your tooth, keep it in a glass of milk until you see our Manchester emergency dentist.
A dislodged tooth is when a tooth is loosened, pushed into or sideways from its socket usually as a result of an injury or accident. When this happens it’s important to immediately visit our Manchester emergency dentist because, with the right care, the tooth can be re-implanted and repaired.
Generally, having a tooth extraction has little to no complications. Sometimes though, after having a tooth removed, a dry socket can take place within 3 days of the extraction if the blood clot falls out of the socket too early and leaves the bone exposed. Symptoms include severe pain, earache, and a bad taste in the mouth.
Despite the strength of tooth enamel, teeth can sometimes fracture when biting down on something hard or as a result of an accident. Symptoms include a sharp pain when eating or biting down and sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures. If you have a cracked tooth that’s causing pain, it’s best to visit our emergency dentist in Manchester so that we can help stop the crack spreading any further down the root. This ensures the best chance possible of saving the tooth.
If you’re suffering from any type of dental pain and are looking for an emergency dentist in Manchester call us now on 0164 486 0743. We’ll make sure you get the treatment you need at our emergency dental clinic in Manchester.
