Did you just lose a tooth? If so, you might be freaking out at the moment.
But you should know that it’s not all that uncommon for people to experience tooth loss. By the time Americans reach the age of 35, about 70% of them have missing teeth.
You might be able to avoid losing teeth by taking good care of them throughout the course of your life. Good oral health should keep all your teeth securely in place.
But in the event that you do lose a tooth, it isn’t going to be the end of the world. You just need to make sure that you take the right steps to prevent any further damage from being done.
Here is exactly what you should do when you lose a tooth.
Look for the Missing Tooth
As soon as you realize that you’ve lost a tooth, you should spring right into action and try to find it. You might be able to salvage the situation by having a tooth put back into your mouth after you lose a tooth.
If you’re able to track down a missing tooth, you should pick it up by the crown rather than grabbing it by its roots. This will ensure that you don’t do any permanent damage to your tooth while you’re handling it.
See If Your Mouth Is Bleeding (and Stop It From Bleeding If It Is!)
When you lose a tooth, there is a pretty good chance that at least some bleeding will occur. In many instances, you might even find that blood will be gushing from the gap that has been left in your teeth.
You should get to a mirror ASAP so that you can see what’s going on in your mouth. If there is a lot of blood in it, you should take a cotton ball and hold it up against the part of your mouth that is bleeding.
It might take a few minutes for the bleeding to stop. But you should eventually be able to get things under control.
Keep Your Missing Tooth Clean
After you’re able to control the bleeding that’s going on in your mouth, you should inspect the tooth that fell out of it to see how clean it is. If it happened to fall on the floor, it might have dirt and other debris on it.
You should clean it off as best you can with a glass of water. You should be able to get any debris that is on the tooth off of it within a matter of just a few seconds.
Take a Trip to See Your Dentist
Time is going to be of the essence when you lose a tooth. If there is any chance of saving it, you’ll need to visit your dentist right away so that they can evaluate you.
Call your dentist immediately to see if they can squeeze you into their schedule after you lose a tooth. If they can’t, call another dentist in your area and find out if they can extend the emergency dental services that you need.
You’re only going to have a couple of hours at most to address a missing tooth. If you wait too long to see a dentist, you won’t be able to save your tooth.
Ask Your Dentist to Try to Put Your Missing Tooth Back Into Place
Regardless of whether you see your own dentist or another dentist in your area, they should be able to give you some idea as to whether or not they’ll be able to save your tooth. They can do this after looking at both your tooth and your mouth.
In a perfect world, a dentist will be able to reattach your tooth and tell you how to care for it so that it takes. With a little luck, you should be able to avoid losing this tooth for good as long as you act fast.
Consider Getting a Dental Implant or Dentures
Tooth replacement is going to be a very real possibility for you when you lose a tooth. Your dentist might not be able to reattach your old tooth for you, especially if you don’t get down to their office right away.
But even if you lose a tooth for good, all will not be lost. You might be a great candidate for either a dental implant or dentures. If this is the direction that you and your dentist decide to go in, you’ll need to take part in either a dental implant consultation or a denture fitting.
Visit aspiresurgical.net to discover more about some of the different types of dentures that you might be able to invest in to replace a missing tooth. You should be able to make the most of a bad situation by purchasing dentures and putting them in the place of any missing teeth that you might have.
Be Sure to Take the Right Steps After You Lose a Tooth
There is likely going to come a time when you will lose a tooth. As you get older, your teeth aren’t going to be as strong as they used to be, and it could result in you dealing with missing teeth over time.
Now that you know what to do when you lose a tooth, you’ll be ready to combat this situation as best you can. By taking the steps that we’ve laid out here, you can either reinsert your missing tooth or go with one of your alternate options in no time at all.
Find more tips on improving your oral health by browsing through our other blog articles.
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