Treatment
Knocked-out and injured teeth in Burton upon Trent
A fall from a bike, a rugby tackle, a slip in the kitchen: teeth are chipped, loosened, pushed out of place and knocked out more often than most people realise. The first hour decides whether a knocked-out tooth can be saved, and the following year decides whether any injured tooth keeps its nerve.
If an adult tooth is knocked out
- Handle the tooth by the crown — the white part — and avoid touching the root.
- If it is dirty, rinse it for a moment in milk or saline. Do not scrub it or use soap.
- If you can, push it gently back into its socket the right way round and bite softly on a clean cloth to hold it.
- If that is not possible, keep it in a cup of milk or inside your cheek. Never let it dry out, and never put it in water.
- Be seen within the hour — book and say that a tooth has been knocked out.
A knocked-out baby tooth is not replanted, because doing so can damage the adult tooth developing beneath it. The child should still be checked for other injuries.
Chips, loosening and displacement
A small chip with no other symptoms can usually wait a day or two for assessment. A chip that exposes pink tissue, a tooth that has been pushed out of position or a loose, painful tooth should be seen quickly, because repositioning, splinting and protecting an exposed pulp are time-sensitive.
Why injured teeth are watched
A tooth's blood supply enters through a tiny opening at the tip of the root, and a blow can bruise or tear it. The pulp may then die weeks or months later, often without pain. The warning signs are a tooth that gradually darkens, a boil on the gum above it or infection on an X-ray. For that reason an injured tooth is reviewed over roughly a year, with nerve tests and X-rays at intervals, so that trouble is caught before it damages the bone. The guide sensitive teeth or something more serious? describes the signs in more detail.
If the nerve dies
In a fully formed tooth, root canal treatment removes the dead tissue and seals the root. In a young tooth whose root is still growing, the aim is instead to preserve what remains of the living tissue so that the root can keep developing, or to seal an open root end with a biocompatible material. These cases are planned carefully with the family and the child's own dentist.
Working alongside your dentist
Injured teeth frequently need both endodontic care and restorative work — bonding, a veneer or a crown — from your own dentist. A report with X-rays follows every visit so that the two parts of your care fit together.