Cleaning A Knocked Out Tooth Properly
Accidents involving the teeth can happen at any age and at any time, and most cracks and chips can be repaired in a timely manner with the assistance of your family dentist. However, a tooth that has been knocked clean out of the jaw needs emergency dental care. An emergency dentist can help you and hopefully set the tooth back in your mouth. You do need to make sure that the tooth remains in good condition though. This means avoiding cleaning mistakes, so keep reading to learn about these mistakes and what you should really do.
Tooth Cleaning Mistakes
Teeth rarely come out of the mouth in a completely clean manner and fall on a recently sanitized countertop. In fact, since the teeth are accustomed to bite pressures that exceed 5,500 pounds of pressure per square inch, it takes some force to knock out a tooth. Car accidents, falls, and sporting incidents are usually responsible for knocked out teeth, and the result is a permanent tooth hitting the dirty ground or the inside interior of your vehicle. When this happens, many people panic and decide to scrub the tooth clean. Hot water, soap, and scrub brushes are often used.
Unfortunately, a tooth that is aggressively cleaned can be easily damaged. A great many tissues and cells live on the exterior of the tooth root. These cells can be killed if they are forced off the tooth, and this may result in the tooth not being able to be placed back in the socket. Aggressive cleaning is not the only thing you need to watch out for though; alcohol, peroxide, toothpaste, and mouthwash used to clean the tooth can be harmful as well.
Best Cleaning and Moistening Methods
Mud, dirt, and other debris should not be left on your tooth if it is dirty, or the foreign materials may stick to the tooth. To remove these things, use a gentle flush of cool water from your tap. Also, in addition to cleaning, you need to make sure that you keep the tooth moist. This is much more important than cleaning to keep the living tissues both inside and outside the tooth alive. Saliva is one of the best fluids for the tooth, so place the tooth just inside your cheek until you can see an emergency dentist. Wrapping the tooth in a wet cloth or even placing the tooth in a small container filled with milk will also help to keep it in good shape.
If you find yourself with a knocked out tooth, then try to make sure that the tooth can be placed back in your mouth by cleaning it properly. Also, make sure that you have the number of an emergency dentist on hand so serious oral issues can be handled right away.
Contact an office like Children's Dentistry of Lake County for more help.