Knocked-Out Tooth? Here’s Why You Need Emergency Dental Care in Scarsdale

A knocked-out tooth, or an avulsed tooth, is likely the most serious and urgent dental emergency. It is not just painful, but is a medical emergency that demand urgent professional attention. The tissues, ligaments, and blood vessels anchoring the tooth in place are broken and begin to deteriorate within moments. In fact, the successful re-implantation and long-term success of the new tooth often depends on the care given right after the injury.

The time before the knocked out tooth is attended greatly affects the likelihood of it being saved. Therefore, this guide will give you high urgency, step-by-step guidance on what to do with the tooth and how to access medical assistance immediately.

Follow these recommendations immediately to encourage saving your natural tooth:

• Quickly locate the tooth.
• Pick up the knocked-out tooth only by the crown.
• NEVER touch the root (the tip touched bone).
• Touching the root could damage the important PDL cells.

• If the tooth is dirty, then you want to very gently rinse it in cold running water for no more than 10 seconds. 
• The tooth should not be wiped. 
• Do not scrub it or use soap or alcohol, or any kind of chemicals.

• Gently try to push the knocked-out tooth back in its socket.  
• Bite very gently on a piece of gauze or a clean cloth to hold the tooth in place. 
• This is the best way to save a knocked-out tooth in Scarsdale.

This is the second-best method that you can use to save your avulsed tooth.

• Put the tooth in a small cup of cold milk.
• Use a tooth preservation kit that is easily available at any drug store.
• If you do not have milk, you can use your saliva as well.
• Just place the tooth in your mouth next to your cheek.

However, the option of using saliva is not for children because of the risk of swallowing.

• Right away, call the closest dental practice and state, “ I have a knocked-out tooth and need an emergency dental appointment.” 
• Go straight to the dental practice with your stored tooth. 
• Ideally, you should be seen within 60 minutes.

The dentist will be able to clean the socket and place the tooth back into the socket where it is correctly positioned.

Initially, after the tooth is re-implanted, the dentist will take the following steps:

• The dentist will apply a dental splint ( flexible wire) to temporarily bond the knocked-out tooth to the adjacent stable teeth.
• Dental splints can be placed for several weeks.

This time frame will allow the healing and reattachment of the bone and ligament cells around the tooth.

All successfully re-implanted teeth will eventually require a root canal because the nerve tissue and blood vessels inside cannot survive the damage done to the tooth. Therefore, the dentist will have you return to assess the tooth and schedule root canal therapy if necessary, to avoid any complications in the future.

In some instances, if considerable time has passed and the tooth remains unattended, then consequently, the knocked-out tooth may not be saved. However, an experienced emergency replacement provider in Scarsdale will be guiding you about the emergency replacement through discussions and elaborating the available options.

It is very common to make a temporary removable partial denture quickly, to fill the visible space while permanent options can be planned out.

This is the gold standard for a permanent emergency tooth replacement. The area is typically allowed to heal before placing the implant, though the assessment and planning of the case can begin immediately.

The nearby teeth are used as an anchoring device to support a replacement tooth.

If you have a knocked-out tooth, there are high-stakes, timely procedures that a dentist must be prepared for. An emergency dental office will:

• Have reserved time slots for emergencies like your knocked-out tooth.
• Be well-informed about the avulsion protocol, the exact steps for re-implantation.

Offer simple, calm instructions over the phone in the critical first few minutes.

A knocked-out tooth is a race against the clock. The things you do next to handle the tooth are as important as the care you will receive from a professional. If this happens to you or a loved one in Scarsdale, follow the five steps and call your emergency dentist in Scarsdale as soon as you hang up. Your quick thinking will take you a long way towards the successful emergency tooth repair. Do not panic, stay calm, and reach out to the emergency dentist as early as possible.

At Smile Scarsdale Family Dental we provide dental services utilizing modern technology. Our experienced dentists are committed to enhancing your smile and to improve your health. Whether it is standard or specialty restorative services, our local dentists remain prepared to handle any dental emergencies.