emergency dentist

What to Do When You Have a Knocked-Out Tooth in La Jolla CA

If you experience losing a tooth after an injury, it is essential to know what steps to take to preserve your tooth. By visiting an emergency dentist near you, you may be able to save your tooth which is best for your oral health. However, the steps you take leading up to your visit will give you the best-case scenario for keeping your tooth.

Steps to Preserve Your Knocked-Out Tooth

If the tooth appears to be dirty, rinse it briefly in cold water, but don’t scrub it. Do not use soap or chemicals. Don’t dry the tooth, and don’t wrap it in a tissue or cloth. Try to put the tooth back in the socket. This is always the first choice. If the tooth is placed in the socket within five minutes of being knocked out, it is likely the tooth will survive. How do you do this?

Gently try to push the tooth back in the socket in with your fingers. Hold the tooth in place with your fingers or by gently biting down on it. If you’re not able to get the tooth back in the socket, put it in your mouth next to your cheek, or place it in a small container with milk. It’s very important to keep the root moist.

Do not store the tooth in water. There is a good survival rate between 5 and 60 minutes if the tooth has been stored properly. It is possible to save a tooth even if it has been outside the mouth for more than an hour, but the survival rate quickly decreases after 60 minutes.

When you get to our dentist’s office, the tooth will be re-implanted and splinted with the adjacent teeth. You may need a root canal for the long-term survival of the tooth.

Contact your emergency dentist in La Jolla CA immediately if you experience severe tooth damage after an injury.

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