When you knock out a tooth, it can be very scary. Quick and cool action, on the other hand, greatly improves the chances of saving the tooth. The most important time after a tooth avulsion (being knocked out) is called the “golden hour.”
For successful replantation, you must act quickly within this time range. Consider consulting an expert in emergency dentistry St Paul, MN, for instant assistance.
Find the tooth.
In the first step, you have to find the tooth. Do an extensive search of the area right around where the accident happened. When you touch the tooth, be very careful.
Hold it tightly by the top, which is the part that you can see above the gum line. If you touch the root, you could hurt the sensitive parts inside the tooth, which would make reimplantation less likely to work.
Clean the tooth.
If you see any food or dirt on the tooth, wash it gently with cold milk or water. Do not scrub the tooth too hard. Also, do not take off any pieces of tissue that might be connected to it. People might not think these pieces of tissue are important, but they can help keep the tooth healthy.
Reimplant the tooth.
If the tooth feels good and looks like it will fit, try to gently put it back in its place. Do not force it; just put a little pressure on it.
Do not try again if the tooth does not easily slide back into place. Forcing the tooth out can hurt the tissues around it more and make reimplantation less likely to work.
Keep the tooth moist.
After putting the tooth back in its place, it is important to keep it wet to protect the soft tissues that surround it. This can be done with milk, spit, or store-bought tooth-preserving products. Milk has chemicals that are good for teeth and keep cells from getting damaged.
When you put your saliva next to your back teeth, it protects the cells in those teeth with natural growth factors and proteins. Tooth preservation products are made with the right amount of nutrients and pH to keep the cells in the tooth alive.
These treatments keep the tooth in a clean and controlled environment. The goal is to keep the tooth from drying out, which can make reimplantation or repair less likely to work.
Important things you should consider.
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Keeping teeth from drying out.
Keeping a knocked-out tooth from drying out is the most important thing you can do to keep it alive. Tooth cells need water to stay alive. When a tooth dries out, the cells inside it start to die, which makes reimplantation much less likely to work.
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Use limited tap water.
While tap water can clean teeth at first, using it for a long time can be bad. Chemicals in tap water might hurt the soft tissues around your teeth.
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Do not wrap in tissue or gauze.
Putting paper or bandages around the tooth can stop air from getting to it and keep wetness in. This can make it easier for germs to grow, which can hurt the tooth even more.
Making sure the knocked-out tooth stays moist is very important. You can do this by putting it in milk, saliva, or a treatment for keeping teeth healthy.
Seek professional dental care.
In any case, you need to see a dentist right away, no matter what was done to the tooth. The dentist will look at the tooth and hole and try to reimplant it if possible. It is still important to get dental care right away, even after the “golden hour” has passed.
By following these tips and moving quickly, people can greatly improve their chances of saving a knocked-out tooth. Remember that time is running out, so stay calm and take action right away.