Dr. Katz Explains What To Do If You Lost A Permanent Tooth

As April is National Facial Protection Month, and so we asked Dr. Katz what do we do if we knock out a permanent tooth with an injury?

Here is Dr. Katz advice!

This situation is the most serious dental accident. The best success of re-implanting an avulsed tooth (tooth knocked out completely) is replacing it within 30 minutes. Go to an emergency room or call your dentist immediately!

Keep the tooth in your mouth so it doesn’t dry out, or you can keep it in a cup of liquid – water or milk. Do not try to clean if off, and seek professional assistance quickly. The tooth will need to be re-implanted and stabilized for 6-8 weeks. The chance of needing a root canal is 90-100%, but that is better than needing a bridge or implant for a missing tooth.

Those of you in braces, the odds are that any trauma sustained to your teeth will be less severe. The braces actually keep the teeth in place and usually prevent loss of teeth. Braces hold the teeth in place in the bone. That is a great benefit that you probably never realized!

Have any more questions about your teeth? Give us a call at Katz Orthodontics where braces are the Katz Meow!