Millions of teeth are knocked out every year, but with prompt emergency dental care from a dentist in Gainesville with Van Dyke General and Implant Dentistry, even a knocked-out tooth can be replaced (replanted) and last for many years. Alternative treatment options to replantation may include a tooth implant, dental bridge, or partial denture. In all cases of lost teeth, the sooner each tooth is replanted, the better the chances are they will survive. When it comes to treating broken teeth and knocked-out teeth, immediate care is required, and only a dentist or endodontist can safely replace a knocked-out tooth. If your tooth becomes broken or knocked out, contact our emergency dentist to schedule an appointment for treatment.
All of our teeth are subject to becoming injured and damaged. However, the upper front teeth can have an even higher risk of being chipped, fractured, and broken. If you feel a brief, sharp pain in your mouth while eating or drinking something very cold or hot, then you have an incomplete tooth fracture somewhere in your mouth. When a chipped or broken tooth is only cracked and no pieces of the tooth are missing, your general dentist can often correct the issue with a simple tooth filling, while more extensive breaks or fractures in a tooth may require a dental crown, either with or without root canal therapy.
Common trauma to your teeth can result from falls, physical activities, accidents, and more. Dental injury can vary in degree of severity, from a simple cut lip to a knocked-out tooth. Avulsed teeth or knocked-out teeth are considered a dental emergency. If knocked out, then an adult tooth (permanent tooth or secondary tooth) should be replaced within the tooth’s socket as soon as possible after it was dislodged. Even when a tooth is knocked out, there is often still a chance that it may be saved. If it cannot be saved, your dentist will advise you of your options for tooth replacement, such as a tooth implant, bridge, or partial denture.
If a tooth has been knocked out, there is a promising chance it will survive, but only if you act right away. When a whole tooth becomes dislodged from its socket, the surrounding tissue and nerves can become susceptible to infection and further damage. In some cases, a tooth can be saved and replaced, so don’t panic if you have lost a tooth during an accident, sports match, or another physical activity. We recommend following these simple steps from our emergency dentist in Gainesville if your tooth is knocked out. These tips can help alleviate pain and avoid any further risks, as well as increase the likelihood that your tooth can be saved.
Time is a critical factor in the survival of a tooth that has been knocked out. If the tooth is replaced in the socket within 5 minutes, or so, of being dislodged, it is likely that it will survive. However, if the tooth is out of the mouth for more than 60 minutes, then the chances of tooth survival decrease substantially.
Handle the knocked-out tooth with care. Never touch the tooth’s root. If the tooth is dirty, gently rinse it with water. Do not use chemical cleaning products or soap to clean the tooth and avoid scrubbing the tooth. Keep the tooth securely in hand. Do not wrap or place the tooth in a cloth or tissue once you’ve cleaned it.
Once the tooth is cleaned, try to place the tooth back into its socket right away. Carefully reinsert the tooth, holding the crown. Avoid touching the lower portion of the tooth or root. If reinsertion is not possible, do not let the tooth dry out. Preserve the tooth in an emergency tooth kit or in a small container with milk.
After reinserting the tooth in its socket or safely storing the tooth in a small, clean container with milk, you should treat your symptoms. Take over-the-counter pain medication, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen to help alleviate oral pain. Do not place an aspirin on the tooth or gums, as it can damage gum tissue.
Gently rinse the area around your knocked-out tooth with warm salt water. Then, gently dab around the area with gauze to soak up any blood. Using care, bite on a handkerchief to hold the tooth in place, if needed. If the affected area has been injured, apply a cold compress to decrease swelling and alleviate bruising.
Once the tooth is secured and you’ve treated your physical symptoms and the area, promptly contact your dentist for an emergency appointment. We offer convenient emergency care scheduling to help our patients who experience pain, dental trauma, and dental emergencies.
There are a number of different types of trauma which may affect your teeth and the surrounding tissues. The diagnostic process for dental trauma typically involves a description of the incident in question as well as the resulting trauma, a visual inspection and clinical exam of the knocked-out or broken tooth, and the use of dental X-rays, in order to determine the severity and type of fracture in the mouth area. Please contact us for additional information.
A subluxated tooth occurs as a result of an injury to the periodontal (gum) tissues. With subluxation, the tooth is loose and can be wiggled with your finger, but it hasn’t fully dislodged from its original location. Subluxated teeth typically feel tender or painful when touched and can cause bleeding near the gumline.
A tooth avulsion occurs when a permanent or adult tooth falls or is knocked out of the mouth. The most common causes of an avulsion include accidents and injuries. If you experience a tooth avulsion, you must seek immediate dental treatment in order to save the tooth. Contact our emergency dentists right away.
Lateral luxation occurs when the alveolar bone, or the bone that holds your teeth in place, becomes fractured and the periodontal ligament separates. In this case, the tooth is not loose but appears to lean at an angle, either leaning forward or backward from the gumline. Treatment requires immediate attention.
A dental intrusion or tooth intrusion is a tooth that is pushed into the bone. Intrusions occur when a significant amount of force pushes one or more teeth through the gums and even into the jaw bone. As a result of a dental intrusion, the tooth appears as though it has not fully emerged from the gumline.
A dental extrusion or tooth extrusion is a tooth that is pushed out of the jaw bone or the displacement of a tooth from its socket. Extrusion can cause a tooth to look elongated, in comparison with the surrounding teeth, and it can wiggle significantly. Extruded teeth are often sensitive and may cause severe pain.
A fractured tooth, often referred to as a cracked tooth or cracked tooth syndrome, occurs when a crack, or fracture, develops on a tooth. This can occur as a result of trauma ranging in severity from minor injuries to serious accidents. A tooth fracture can be repaired with prompt and proper treatment.
Dental injuries can occur for a variety of different reasons and result in dental trauma of varying types and severity. In addition to broken and knocked-out teeth, dental injuries, such as the following can likewise result in a lost crown, tooth abscess, toothache, and lost filling. If you experience a dental injury, no matter the cause, contact Van Dyke General and Implant Dentistry for prompt, professional treatment you can trust with your oral health and aesthetics.
There are a few possible options for single tooth replacement for a tooth that has been knocked out or a tooth that must be removed due to severe decay or fracture. If you can see a Gainesville dentist within 30 minutes, or so, of the injury, we may be able to successfully replant your natural tooth. Stabilizing splints are used to support a replanting tooth and can be required for several weeks. Root canal therapy is then used to further treat the tooth.
While replanting can be successful in many situations, several factors can affect whether or not your situation is ideal. The length of time in which the tooth is outside the mouth, the amount of damage caused to the area, and the way the tooth is stored can have an effect on whether the tooth can be saved. If your tooth is not able to be replanted, there are other options to restore the appearance of your teeth and gums.
A dental implant can hide the fact that you have a missing tooth. Implants are permanent solutions to missing teeth that are placed in the jaw bone.
A dental bridge can be used to cover the area where more than one tooth has been knocked out. Our bridges are custom-made to ensure that they fit securely on each patient.
If several teeth have been knocked out or damaged beyond repair and require extraction, partial dentures can give you back the use of your mouth and provide support to your facial muscles and cheeks.
When a knocked-out tooth or another form of dental trauma is treated immediately after the incident occurs, the natural tooth can often be saved and replanted into the socket by your dentist. However, delaying treatment, among other factors might require alternative treatments for tooth replacement. Despite ideal methods used for saving a tooth that has been dislodged from its socket, the optimal strategy for avoiding tooth loss is prevention.
Protect your teeth at all times, and use extra caution while exercising, playing sports, engaging in physical activities, biting into foods, and performing other tasks. If you have a high risk of dental trauma, ask your dentist about getting a custom-made mouthguard to help protect your teeth. Contact Van Dyke General and Implant Dentistry for all of your oral care and dental health needs.
