KNOCKING OUT A PERMANENT TOOTH

KNOCKING OUT A PERMANENT TOOTH

A knocked out permanent tooth is an emergency, if you don’t get help as soon as possible it can be impossible to salvage the tooth and the socket can become badly infected. By taking quick action, you can save both the tooth and socket.

• Find the tooth
• Pick it up by the crown, not the fleshy root
• If it looks dirty, give it a quick rinse with a sterile saline solution, milk or saliva. Don’t scrub it or touch it

So unappealing as its sounds, try to put the tooth back into the socket. Then hold it in place with gauze or a clean washcloth until you can get to a dentist.

If the tooth won’t go back in place, put it in a glass of milk or sterile saline solution. Don’t put it in water, then get to a dentist as soon as possible.