Knocked Out Teeth
If you lose a tooth, don’t panic! The first thing to ensure is that the patient is medically well and can retrieve the tooth.
If it is a baby (deciduous) tooth, do not try to reinsert it. We recommend that you leave it out and take your child to a dentist as soon as possible for further advice.
For Adult teeth, follow the guidelines of the Australian Dental Association, of which all dentists at North Adelaide Dental Care are members:
- Handle the tooth by the crown only
- If the tooth is clean, replant it in the socket immediately
- If the tooth is dirty, clean it by - rinsing in milk, have the patient gently suck it, or briefly rinsing in water as a last resort [if you can't do either of the above].
Replant it in the socket as soon as possible. When replanting the tooth, use the other teeth as a guide, then have the patient hold the tooth in place with the fingers or by biting on a handkerchief.
If you are unable to replant the tooth, keep the tooth moist by [in order of preference]
- submerging it in milk, or
- sealing it in plastic wrap, or
- placing it in the patient's mouth, next to the cheek [only if the patient is calm and under control]
If the tooth root appears fractured, then:
- replant it in the socket, or
- place it in milk or plastic wrap
- seek immediate dental treatment - TIME IS CRITICAL
We recommend that you avoid the following actions:
- Do not hold the tooth by the root surface
- Do not scrape or rub the root surface
- Do not let the tooth dry out
- Do not rinse the tooth in water for more than a second or two
- Do not store the tooth in water
- Do not delay seeking dental treatment
In any case, we strongly recommend you visit your dentist as soon as you can for further advice on the affected teeth.