Losing teeth during childhood is a rite of passage and even fun thanks to visits from the Tooth Fairy. Losing an adult tooth is a completely different experience and is far more traumatic and especially if you accidentally knock out a tooth. The good news is that sometimes a knocked-out tooth in Newcastle is salvageable, but you need to act fast.

The first thing to do is to get in touch with us here at West Bowmanville Family Dental as you must see a dentist immediately. There is a far better chance of successfully reinserting your tooth if this happens within the first half an hour to an hour after the accident. Although we may still try to reinsert the tooth after this time, the chances of success diminish. However, we may still want to try because it could last for a while, buying you some extra time until you decide on a more permanent tooth replacement.

Steps to Take If You Knock out a Tooth

• Retrieve the tooth, holding it carefully by the crown rather than the tooth root. Avoid touching the root as you could damage any tissue still attached and which must be preserved to help improve the chances of successful reinsertion.

• Clean the tooth by rinsing it gently with water or milk, but don’t remove any tissue from the tooth root and don’t dry it afterwards.

• If you can, replace the tooth into the gum socket, but make sure it faces the right way around. Use a clean finger to keep it in place or bite down carefully on a clean tissue and come to see us straight away. You shouldn’t try and replace milk or primary teeth as this could damage the tooth underneath, but your child will need to see a dentist straight away.

• If you can’t reinsert the tooth, you need to preserve it as best you can to keep the cells and tissue on the tooth root alive. Store the tooth in a little milk, and you can also buy over-the-counter solutions specially made for storing knocked out teeth. These solutions can be useful as part of a first aid kit. Otherwise, you can keep the tooth in your cheek if you are sure you won’t swallow it. It’s best not to store the tooth in tap water.

How We Can Help You

When you come to see our dentist in Clarington, we can assess the tooth to see if it is in good enough condition for reinsertion. If it looks okay, we may take a dental x-ray to see if the tooth will heal properly. After the tooth is reinserted, we will most likely want to splint it to the tooth next door as this provides support during healing and ensures the tooth will not shift out of place. If the tooth has been out of the mouth for a while, it could be necessary to soak it in a special solution before reinserting it to help increase the chance of survival. Once the tooth is reinserted, we can decide how long it should remain splinted in place, and you will need to come and see us for a checkup so we can judge its progress.

What Happens When a Tooth Can’t Be Saved?

We will do everything possible to help save your natural tooth, but if we can’t, we can discuss suitable ways to replace it. There are several solutions for tooth loss in Courtice including a partial denture, which can be a useful temporary measure or a tooth-supported bridge. If you are interested in a long-term solution for tooth loss, we can discuss a dental implant which is by far the most advanced way to restore missing teeth and can provide excellent results.