Teeth are sometimes lost due to decay or infection. However, sometimes blunt force trauma can see a perfectly healthy tooth knocked right out of its socket. It’s a stressful situation in which to find yourself, but keep in mind that healthy teeth can often be re-implanted. Of course, you’ll need to recover the tooth and handle it correctly if that’s to happen.
- Find it Fast
If the tooth was knocked out of your mouth as well as out of its socket, you need to find it as quickly as you can. Duck down and inspect the area around your feet carefully before starting to look further afield – if you step in the tooth, you’ll probably break it completely, making successful reinsertion impossible.
- Handle by the Crown
With luck, you should find your tooth relatively quickly, but be careful how you handle it. Pick it up by the crown, the part of the tooth that normally rests just above the gum line. The root is more vulnerable to damage, so touching it could reduce the chances of successful reinsertion.
- Rinse It
If your tooth has been out of your mouth, it’s going to have been exposed to foreign bodies – you should get rid of them before moving on to the next step. Doing so is easy. Simply soak the tooth in a bowl of lukewarm water for a few seconds. Don’t use soap, and never wrap the tooth in tissue or attempt to dry it.
- Reinsert It
This might sound odd, but the next thing to do is reinsert the tooth yourself. Assuming there’s no damage to the root, it should easily slide back into the empty socket. If it doesn’t don’t attempt to force it. In most cases, reinsertion should be easy. Once the tooth is back, bite down lightly to keep it in place.
- Keep Moist
Your problem tooth will be damaged if it dries out, so keep sipping water to maintain a healthy flow of saliva. If your whole mouth starts to feel dry, try rinsing with a small amount of milk.
