What to Do if You Have a Knocked Out Tooth

If you have a tooth knocked out, don’t panic. First, treat the injury that knocked the tooth out in the first place. Then, try to gather and preserve the tooth before heading to an oral surgeon in Melbourne, FL. A tooth that has been knocked out is known as an “avulsed” tooth. So long as the patient gets to us with the tooth in time, Sedaros Oral Facial Surgery can likely reattach it and save the tooth.

Immediately After a Tooth is Knocked Out

Suffering an avulsed tooth is actually quite common. Teens and adults who play rough-and-tumble sports can catch an elbow to the face and the next thing you know, their tooth is out! The good news is that if you act quickly, the tooth can be restored by an experienced oral surgeon.

You are likely to experience bleeding if a tooth gets knocked out. Deal with that first. Using a bandage or clean handkerchief, put it in the bleeding socket where the tooth was and then bite down. Keep pressure on the socket like this to try to get the bleeding to stop.

What to Do with the Knocked Out Tooth

If you can find the tooth and it is fully intact, you have a better chance of getting it reinserted into the socket. Rinse the tooth off with water or some milk. Do not use soap or any other type of disinfectant on it. Also, do not wipe the tooth off, because that can remove some of the ligaments in it that are necessary for reattachment.

Try to push the tooth back into the socket with the root pointing down. (This might hurt.) If you succeed in reinserting the tooth, bite down on a cloth or a bandage with it, to hold it in place.

If you cannot reinsert the tooth or if it is a cracked or partial tooth, you have a couple of options. The best one is to place the tooth in your mouth so it is resting against your cheek. The inside of your mouth is the natural habitat for the tooth. If that is not an option, you can put the tooth in a cup of milk or salt water.

Time is not your friend when you have an avulsed tooth. You need to go to an experienced oral surgeon as quickly as possible after the injury happens — within 30 minutes if possible. Avulsed teeth have been successfully restored as long as 60 minutes after they were knocked out, but the quicker you get to our office, the better the outcome is likely to be.

If a Baby Tooth is Knocked Out

When a child’s “baby tooth” is knocked out in an injury, dentists and oral surgeon specialists generally don’t recommend trying to replace it in the socket. It’s often better to wait until the permanent (“adult”) tooth erupts, and simply leave a gap there until that happens.

How an Oral Surgeon in Melbourne, FL Can Help

Dr. Sedaros is an experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeon. His specialized training allows him to treat facial trauma injuries. These can include broken facial bones, broken jaws, facial lacerations and even replacing avulsed teeth.

The avulsed tooth will need to be stabilized by splinting it to surrounding teeth, if possible. This can sometimes be done with wires or bonding. The tooth will need to be held in place like this in order for the root to reattach.

Other dental specialists might be a part of the process of restoring an avulsed tooth as well. An endodontist might need to perform a root canal therapy, for example, or a restorative dentist may need to repair a cracked tooth.

Even if your tooth is not successfully saved, it’s not the end of the world. A dental implant can be used to replace a lost tooth, so that your smile is completely restored.

Contact Sedaros Oral Facial Surgery and Dental Implants

If your tooth gets knocked out for any reason, try to preserve it and contact us as quickly as possible. You can reach our experts at Sedaros Oral Facial Surgery and Dental Implants at 321.610.7868 or contact us here for any of your other concerns.