Losing a permanent tooth can be an adult's worst nightmare—but it's more common than you think. Around 178 million adults in the United States have lost at least one tooth, needing to visit an emergency dentist in Madison to assess the damage and start exploring options to restore their smile.
For that reason, it is important to understand how to act in cases of tooth loss. With prompt action, we can reinsert your tooth, saving you time and money and restoring your mouth to optimal health. Here's what you need to know to achieve that.
What to Do if Your Tooth Falls Out
1. Calm Down
Losing a natural tooth can be stressful, especially if it's the first. However, staying calm and assessing the situation is crucial to ensure a good outcome.
First things first, try to locate your tooth. Grab it from the crown and rinse with water to remove any water. Additionally, give your mouth a rinse and look at it in detail. Did the tooth fall out entirely, or are there pieces in your mouth? Is there an injury anywhere else?
2. Store the Tooth Properly or Bite Onto it
Your tooth cannot be re-implanted by you alone. However, you give it the best chance of surviving until you receive emergency care by placing it right back into the socket—the large hole in your mouth where your tooth used to be. Gently push the tooth back into its socket with your fingers; if it refuses to return, do not push or force it.
The tooth must be kept moist, even if you cannot insert it. The tooth can be "stored" between your cheek and gums, where your saliva will moisten it. However, you must also take great care to avoid accidentally swallowing it. You can also store it in milk, but never water—the roots can't handle water exposure for that amount of time.
3. Visit a Dental Office
As long as the tooth has been stored correctly, and you visit a dental office right away, the survival rate of a tooth is high. In fact, the rate remains high if you visit a dentist between five and sixty minutes after the loss.
However, the tooth's chances of surviving are greatly reduced if left out of the mouth and dry.
How Quickly Should I Get a Tooth Replacement?
If you arrive at our dental office too late or the lost tooth was too damaged to be properly re-inserted, getting a tooth restoration may be the only alternative for your smile. While the area may still feel tender, getting a prosthetic tooth, like a bridge or a dental implant, should be conducted right away.
When a tooth is missing, the surrounding ones will start to shift toward the available space, affecting the alignment of your bite. Besides resulting in a crooked look, this can make eating and speaking harder and cause TMJ-related issues in the long run.
Additionally, tooth loss causes bone resorption, a process in which the jawbone starts reabsorbing itself after losing the stimulus your tooth provided. Dental implants are the best solution to prevent that. Reach out to a dental professional to explore your options!
Find an Emergency Dentist in Madison Who Cares About Your Smile
Knocked-out teeth can be stressful, but they are not irreparable. If you reach an emergency dentist on time, your natural tooth can be restored to optimal condition. Even if you don’t, nowadays, there are various restorative procedures in dentistry designed to complement your smile.
Wilson Family Dental is here to aid you in managing the crisis—and exploring long-term solutions right away. Contact us immediately if you're suffering from an emergency! We'll do everything in our power to see you today.
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