A knocked-out tooth leaves you with a problem you can actually hold in your hand. What you do next can affect whether your dentist has an opportunity to save it. If you can find the tooth, pick it up by the white crown, not the root. Do not scrub it or leave it sitting dry. A permanent tooth may be replanted after an injury, and the sooner you protect the tooth and get to a dentist, the better its chances of healing. The first few minutes are important, but treatment does not stop once the tooth is returned to its socket. Dr. Jaime will continue to watch how it heals and address problems that can develop after the injury. If the tooth cannot be saved, you still have options for replacing it.
Can I Save a Knocked-Out Tooth?
When a permanent tooth is knocked out, living tissue remains on the surface of the root. Those cells normally help anchor the tooth within the bone and are involved in healing if the tooth is put back into its socket. Keeping them alive gives the tooth a better chance of reconnecting with the surrounding tissue.
Once the root is exposed to air, those cells begin to dry out and die. After about 30 minutes of dry time, most are unlikely to survive. At 60 minutes or longer, there are far fewer healthy cells left to support healing after the tooth is replanted.
Dry time is not the same as the total time the tooth has been outside its socket. Say the tooth stays dry for 10 minutes before you place it in a liquid that protects the root. You then spend another 20 minutes getting to the dentist. The tooth has been out for 30 minutes, but the root was only dry for the first 10.
How Should You Store a Knocked-Out Tooth?
You can sometimes return a permanent tooth to its socket immediately. When that is not possible, the priority is keeping the root moist while you get to the dentist.
Milk is commonly recommended for transporting a knocked-out tooth. It keeps the root moist and provides an environment that is relatively compatible with the periodontal ligament cells still attached to it. Saliva can serve as a temporary alternative if milk is not available.
Plain water is not a preferred storage option. It prevents the root from drying, but its chemical makeup can damage periodontal ligament cells.
Storage does not reverse damage that occurred while the tooth was dry. It can help protect the cells that remain viable during the trip to the dentist.
Even after a longer delay, bring the tooth with you. Thirty and 60 minutes help us understand how the tooth may heal, but they are not deadlines for giving up on it. Keep the tooth moist, call our office, and come in as soon as you can. Bring the tooth with you, along with any pieces you found after the injury.
What Happens Once the Tooth Is Back in Place?
Putting a knocked-out tooth back into its socket is an important first step, but we cannot tell from that moment alone how well the tooth will heal. The periodontal ligament has been injured, and the tooth has lost the blood supply that once entered through its root. Over the weeks and months that follow, Dr. Jaime will monitor how the tooth and surrounding tissues respond.
What Are My Options If the Tooth Is Lost?
A replanted tooth can heal successfully and remain in place for years. In other cases, changes to the root or surrounding bone eventually prevent us from preserving it. If we need to remove the tooth, we can replace the gap with a traditional bridge or an implant-supported crown.
A traditional bridge relies on the neighboring teeth for support. We prepare those teeth for crowns and connect an artificial tooth between them to fill the space. An implant-supported crown has its own support. A dental implant sits in the bone where the natural root once was, and the crown attaches to the implant above the gumline.
At Sunshine Dental, we use mini dental implants for this type of tooth replacement. At roughly half the diameter of conventional implants, they require a smaller opening for placement. Dr. Jaime can typically place a mini implant using a minimally invasive technique, which reduces disruption to the gums and bone and often makes the procedure and recovery easier to manage. Mini implants also tend to cost less than their conventional counterparts.
Get Emergency Dental Care in Albuquerque, NM
If you have a knocked-out tooth, do not let uncertainty keep you from getting care. Bring the tooth with you and come to Sunshine Dental in Albuquerque, NM, as soon as possible. Dr. Jaime provides same-day emergency care and can begin addressing the injury while there is still an opportunity to protect your natural tooth.
Call our office today for an emergency visit.
