Mistakes To Avoid When Dealing With A Knocked-Out Tooth

There are a wide variety of dental emergencies that may pop up in your life. One of the more common ones involves a dental avulsion, or the knocking out of a tooth. This type of situation requires swift action and the assistance of a dentist if you want to save your tooth. However, individuals do tend to make quite a few mistakes when it comes to the actions that are completed before seeing an emergency dentist. Keep reading to learn about what these mistakes are and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Handling The Tooth

Your dentist can secure your tooth back in your mouth if you seek out a professional quickly. However, you do not want to rush around too much or you might damage your tooth in the process. Specifically, if you place direct pressure on the dental root, then you can irreparably damage the living cells of the tooth. These are the cells that are usually covered by soft tissues and are continually nourished with good blood flow.

So, to keep the cells alive and healthy, do not touch them with your fingers. If your tooth is completely avulsed and lying on the ground, use your fingers to pick it up by touching the crown only. Examine the root quickly to determine if there is any foreign matter attached to it and rinse very gently with water. Once you are done, you want to keep the root cells moist so they do not dry out and die. There are a few ways you can do this. You can either wrap a wet paper towel around tooth or you can place it in a small dish of your own saliva. 

Mistake #2: Attempting to Force Your Tooth Back Into Place

Some professionals will indicate that you can force an avulsed tooth back into its socket. However, this can be quite dangerous, and you may actually need to go through an extraction if you don't secure the tooth correctly. The method of replacement can also be quite painful, so try to avoid it if you can. 

You do need to be mindful of the bleeding that occurs along the socket, though, so make sure to use a compress on the area. Your best option is to fold up several pieces of gauze and place it over the bleeding socket. Then, gently bite down on it. A damp and clean towel is useful as well. 

If you want to know more about what you should be doing when a tooth is knocked out of the jaw, search out emergency dental care services in your area.