Avulsed Tooth

This occurs when facial trauma causes the tooth to be completely extruded from the socket. This can occur at any age but is treated somewhat differently for mature versus immature roots. In all cases prompt assessment and if appropriate re-implantation into the empty socket is key to success. In short the clock starts ticking as soon as the tooth is exposed to the extra oral environment. If one can access dental/medical care within 60 minutes with the tooth being kept moist (secure container in milk if available, if not water) then there exists the potential to save the tooth. For immature root development in younger patients if the time exceeds 60 minutes the outlook is poor. For adult teeth the prospect of root canal therapy if the tooth can be inserted and stabilized can be expected. It should be noted that one should not try to reinsert primary or baby teeth. The question exists ,what does one do if they are several hours away from professional care? The answer may seem daunting. Handling the tooth by the natural crown examine the root surface to ensure it is free of contamination while rinsing gently with sterile saline if available (more likely tap or bottled water) . The less the root is handled the better. Secondly if one can insert the tooth into the socket before a clot prevents such ,that is key. Thirdly the patient should attempt to close in a full and natural bite on their back teeth and manually stabilize the site with clean hands until professionally attended to. You can expect antibiotics to enter the picture at some point as well as a tetanus booster if required. If you need assistance with a dental emergency in Victoria, Call your emergency dentist in Victoria today at 250-812-2716