How do healthcare providers treat an avulsed tooth?
How do healthcare providers treat an avulsed tooth?
Most often, you’ll see a dentist if you have a tooth knocked out. How your dentist treats an avulsed tooth depends on whether you could reinsert the tooth yourself or keep it moist. If you put your tooth back into the socket before seeing your dentist, the dentist will:
- Make sure you have positioned your tooth correctly.
- Splint your implanted tooth to the surrounding teeth for seven to 10 days. If the bone around your tooth has also fractured, your provider may leave the splint for at least six weeks.
- Evaluate the pulp condition and schedule a root canal if necessary (removal of the soft center of your tooth) within two weeks.
If you stored your tooth in a moist liquid, your dentist will:
- Gently rinse your tooth if needed, usually with saline.
- Give local anesthesia (numbing medication).
- Reinsert your tooth.
- Splint your implanted tooth.
- Schedule a root canal.
Your dentist may prescribe an antibiotic for a few days. They will also make sure your tetanus shot is up to date. You may be at risk for tetanus if your tooth was exposed to dirt. If you couldn’t store your tooth in a moist liquid, your dentist may still reimplant it. For the best chance of success, they can usually only reinsert a tooth within an hour of loss. If your tooth dries out too much, the periodontal ligament (the joint that attaches the root of your tooth to your bone) may die. If this happens, the tooth may be lost and you may want to replace it with something like a partial denture, bridge or dental implant at a later date.