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Treatment for Loose Tooth

What You Should Do if a Tooth Comes Out

It happens. Biting down on a hard candy, sports injuries, or even just a fall, can cause unplanned dental disasters.

Here’s a list of best practices in the event something happens, and you or your child loses a tooth:

  1. Rinse your mouth with cool water and apply a cold compress on the outside of your cheek to try and prevent/treat any swelling.
  1. If the lost tooth is a baby tooth, follow the standard procedure. Save it and put it under your child’s pillow and let the Tooth Fairy take it from there.
  1. If the tooth is an adult tooth, pick the tooth up by the ‘crown’ or the part that sticks out of your gums. Do NOT touch it by the root.
  1. Gently rinse the tooth with milk or sterile saline. Rinsing with water should only be used if milk or sterile saline are not available. Don’t scrub it, just rinse.
  1. Try to put the tooth back into the socket. This will keep the tooth in the environment it’s ‘used to’. Keep it in place by biting on gauze or a bit of clothing and hold it there as you make your way to the dentist.
  1. If you’re not able to put it back in the socket, store it in milk or sterile saline. Do not use water or wrap it in cloth or tissue as the fibers may contaminate the root. Then get to your dentist as soon as possible. If none of the options above are available, simply store it in between in your cheek and gums being careful not to swallow it!
  1. Get to your dentist as quickly as possible. Don’t wait or the tooth will end up dehydrated and unusable.

Breaking or cracking a tooth is a dental emergency that obviously requires immediate action.

If you’re travelling and can’t get to your own dentist, time is of the essence! Find a dentist or emergency room in the area and go in for an urgent visit.

While no one wants this to ever happen, it’s better to be prepared for a dental emergency than to find yourself (or your child) in the middle of one and not know what to do.

In addition to this topic, we’re pleased to offer a FREE report that provides information vital to your child forming good dental habits. Why not get your copy now? Getting Started With Your Child’s Oral Health – The Parent’s Guide, is just a click away. And it’s absolutely FREE.

Also, for more information, to make an appointment, or have a question answered, you’re more than welcome to call us at South Airdrie Smiles at 587 805 3094  or click here to visit our website.