The AAE website recommendations regarding treatment of a tooth that has been knocked out during trauma.
1. Pick up tooth by the crown (the chewing surface) not the root.
Locate the tooth immediately; do not leave it at the site of the accident. The tooth should be handled carefully -- touch only the crown -- to minimize injury to the root.
2. If dirty, gently rinse the tooth with water, remembering not to handle the root surface.
- Do not use soap or chemicals.
- Do not scrub the tooth.
- Do not dry the tooth.
- Do not wrap it in a tissue or cloth.
3. Reposition the tooth in the socket immediately, if possible.
The sooner the tooth is replaced, the greater the likelihood it will survive. To reinsert, carefully push the tooth into the socket with fingers, or position above the socket and close mouth slowly. Hold the tooth in place with fingers or by gently biting down on it.
4. Keep the tooth moist at all times.
The tooth must not be left outside the mouth to dry. If it cannot be replaced in the socket, put it in one of the following:
- Emergency tooth preservation kit
- Milk
- Mouth (next to cheek)
If none of these are practical, use water (with a pinch of salt, if possible).
5. Contact our office at 984-768-8010 immediately or the nearest available dentist within 30 minutes.
Bring the tooth to a dentist or to Holly Springs Endodontics as soon as possible; ideally within 30 minutes. However, it is possible to save the tooth even if it has been outside the mouth for an hour or more.