While knocked-out teeth aren’t everyday occurrences, they happen more often than you’d think. The American Association of Endodontists, in fact, finds that over 5 million Americans get a knocked-out tooth every year. That said, it’s good to know if you can save one ahead of time. When you have that information, you’re more likely to get proper treatment. Luckily, your emergency dentist in Mount Pleasant can give you this knowledge. Here’s a summary of whether you can put a knocked-out tooth in its socket, including why to see a dentist at once.
So, *Can* You Put a Knocked-Out Tooth in its Socket?
Fortunately, you can! It’s just a matter of knowing the proper procedure. More specifically, you’ll need to follow the steps below:
- Find the Tooth: You can’t re-insert a tooth you don’t have, after all. Therefore, see if you can find it.
- Handle It Gently: Once you’ve found the pearly white, make sure to pick it up by its crown. (This will minimize damage to the tooth’s roots and improve your chances of saving it.) From there, gently rinse off any dirt on it with water.
- Keep It Moist: To be re-placed successfully, your tooth needs to be moist. Consider placing it in some milk, as the latter can protect tooth cells for up to six hours. If you don’t have any, a saline solution will do.
- Put the Tooth in its Socket: While holding it by the crown, use your fingers to push the tooth into the socket. You can then hold it in place by carefully biting down.
See Your Dentist ASAP
Even if you get the tooth back in its socket, you should still see a dentist. Only the latter has the knowledge, experience, and tools necessary to re-bond teeth to your jaw.
To raise the odds of saving your tooth, visit your dentist within thirty minutes of the initial injury. Once you arrive at the local practice, they can assess your situation and work to restore your smile.
As you can see, a knocked-out tooth is a serious situation that can happen to anyone. Remember the steps above so your dentist can preserve and put it back.
About the Practice
Smile Carolina Dental Group is based in Mount Pleasant, SC. As headed by Dr. Virginia Gregory, the practice always strives to make patients’ smiles healthy and beautiful. To that end, it offers preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry, as well as emergency dental procedures. The team can even provide you with Botox and similar facial services. For more information or to book an appointment, you can reach them on their website or by phone at (843)-884-8884.