Regardless of the cause, losing an adult tooth is more than just a cosmetic issue, it constitutes a dental emergency. If the tooth was chipped or knocked out by direct trauma, contact us immediately. If you see a dentist soon enough, it may be possible toreattach and save your permanent tooth.
Here are the important steps you should take if your tooth gets knocked out:
- Recover your knocked-out tooth. Find the tooth, but make sure not to touch the root of the tooth. While this may be difficult, it is important to only handle the crown part of your lost tooth to prevent any additional damage.
- Stop the bleeding. When a tooth is knocked out, the socket may begin gushing blood. You can place clean cotton balls on the wound to help absorb the blood and slow down the bleeding. Hold the cotton balls down with your finger and change them frequently.
- Rinse the tooth. Use milk, water, or saline solution to clean the tooth. If using the saline solution, make sure that it is sterile. Make sure not to scrub or wipe the tooth, but just gently rinse off the crown and the root.
- Reinsert your tooth into the empty socket. Sometimes, you may be able to put your tooth back. Hold your tooth in place by gently biting down on soft fabric or medical gauze.
- Protect the tooth. If you weren’t able to reinsert the tooth, place it in a glass of milk or saline solution. If you can’t find any milk or saline solution at home, tap water would NOT work. Instead, you can place the tooth in your mouth between your cheek and gums.
- Get emergency dental treatment immediately. The faster you get to the dentist, the better chance you have to save a tooth. Make sure to bring the tooth with you.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU IGNORE A MISSING TOOTH?
If you are missing one or more of your teeth, delaying dental treatment can lead to more serious oral health issues, resulting in more expensive treatments down the road.
1. Teeth Misalignment
Naturally, your teeth support each other. Therefore, if one is missing, it can cause neighbouring teeth to lean and shift into the gap. This shifting can lead to a domino effect on the rest of your teeth.
Over time, this can result in bite problems, a crooked smile, joint pain and headaches. Your teeth will become misaligned, making it more difficult to clean in between, which can lead to additional tooth decay and further tooth loss.
2. Tooth Decay and Gum Disease
If your teeth begin to move because of the gap, it can be challenging to reach all surfaces when flossing and brushing, leading to bacteria buildup. This can increase the risk of gum disease and tooth decay, which could lead to further tooth loss.
3. Bone Loss
The roots of your teeth help to support your jaw bone and stimulate bone growth. When one or several teeth are missing, the bone in the surrounding area no longer gets the stimulation to grow, resulting in bone loss.
With time, this bone loss can make your jaw shrink, altering the shape of your face and making it not stable enough to support the remaining teeth.
WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS FOR REPLACING LOST TEETH?
READ ARTICLE: GONE MISSING.
