Apart from the trauma and pain you experience when one of your permanent teeth falls out, you must be worried about your looks. Given that your teeth largely define your countenance, losing one can mess up your smile!
The first thing to do after one of your permanent teeth falls out is to reach out to an emergency dentist Utah. Dental professionals at Teledentistry can help you restore the fallen tooth if you are prompt enough to react. After all, losing your permanent tooth can haunt you for the rest of your life. Being an adult, you know that your tooth won’t grow back. Whether you lose it due to accidental or sports injury or tooth decay, it’s imperative to see your emergency dentist.
Why should you consult an emergency dentist?
A missing tooth not only compromises your smile but also aggravates your dental health. With empty dental sockets in your gums, the adjoining teeth weaken. Besides, empty sockets in the gums make your mouth susceptible to infection. This might also cause the adjacent teeth to shift, as they tend to fill in the empty space. When you lose multiple permanent teeth, you become susceptible to long-term damage in your mouth.
Once you lose a permanent tooth, make sure to carry it in a moist condition to your dentist. If you manage to visit your emergency dentist within 30 minutes of the tooth knocking off, they might be able to replant it into the original socket. Dentists often use splinting technology to fix the fallen tooth. In these situations, they would advise you to schedule a follow-up a couple of weeks later to get the splint removed.
In case you fail to recover the fallen tooth, or it sustains damage beyond recovery, your dentist would use a false tooth to replace it.
Things to do when your tooth falls out
If you don’t care to replant your fallen tooth or get a false tooth, the gum will heal after a few weeks. However, that’s not what you would like to happen, right? Losing a tooth prematurely is the last thing adults expect. You won’t like to change your food habits before you grow too old!
Firstly, call an emergency dentist and schedule an appointment immediately. Following a few simple steps can help you get the original tooth replanted.
- Find the fallen tooth and hold it by the crown. Take care not to touch the root, as this might damage it.
- Use cool water to rinse the tooth and wash the dirt. Don’t use any kind of soap while washing the fallen tooth. Also, take care not to scrub your tooth.
- Try to put the loose tooth back into the actual dental socket. Use your fingers and tongue so that it simply sits in its place. Bite a gauze so that the tooth doesn’t move.
- While you visit the emergency dentist, you must carry the tooth in a moist condition. If you are in pain and cannot put the tooth in its socket, try to fit it between your gum and cheek. It should be in contact with your saliva.
- Another way to preserve the fallen tooth is to dip it in a cup of water or milk.
What to do if you can’t preserve your tooth?
There might be situations when you cannot find the fallen tooth. Even if you manage to find it, you might be too late in visiting your emergency doctor. Also, in some cases, the wrong approach to preserving your tooth makes it impossible for dentists to replant it.
In these situations, you need to replace your tooth. False teeth are quite common these days. Besides, your dentist would recommend you several options to replicate the fallen tooth. Traditional fixed bridges and dental implants are some of the common restorative treatments. You simply need to consult an emergency dentist to explore your options. After the experts assess your oral health and preferences, they carry out the necessary procedures. You always have the liberty to choose a customized treatment process.
Common problems arising from a lost tooth
You might not be aware of all the consequences of a missing tooth in your dental socket. Apart from messing up your looks and smile, these troubles would continue to haunt you down the years. Let’s look at the common problems that might bother you if you lose a permanent tooth.
1. Gum disease
A missing tooth opens up your flesh for bacteria to infect the tissues. This can lead to infection and inflammation. Under severe conditions, the issue can aggravate to gum diseases. This can damage the connective tissues supporting the teeth, as well as the bones. Eventually, other teeth would start falling off.
2. Facial structure change
While nobody wants to look old, a missing tooth can eventually sag your cheeks and lips. The function of the roots of your teeth is to support these parts of your body. So, when you miss a tooth, your lips might lose shape and droop down. In case you miss some of your molars, your cheeks will look sunken. Eventually, wrinkles would appear on your face, making you look older than you really are.
3. Further loss of teeth
When the adjacent teeth find a gap, they tend to shift to the place. This can cause gum diseases, besides altering the way you bite food. The unwanted movement of teeth makes them loose and tend to fall out prematurely.
Endnote
Now that you know what you should do to a fallen tooth don’t delay reaching out to your emergency dentists. The professionals at Teledentistry are available 24/7 to assist you. Simply schedule an appointment at the earliest for instant treatment. Meanwhile, you can try and preserve the fallen permanent tooth so that they can replant it into your gums. The sooner you respond to such medical emergencies, the higher your chances of getting the tooth restored.
