Los Altos Dental Emergency – Avulsed Tooth
Any dental emergency can ruin your day, but having a tooth knocked out or avulsed can be especially traumatic. It is important not to panic, but to act quickly in seeking care at a dental facility in the Los Altos area. One dental office that is available to treat most dental emergencies is the office of Dr. Bhawna Gupta. If you act quickly there is a strong likelihood that the tooth may be saved. One hour or less is the ideal amount of time recommended for successful re-implantation of an avulsed tooth.
Some people have successfully temporarily re-inserted their avulsed tooth themselves. If you decide to attempt this, be sure to wash your hands first. Even if you are successful in re-inserting your tooth, a dental emergency visit will still be necessary.
It is important to prevent an avulsed tooth from drying out. When in route to a dental office near Los Altos, you may want to keep the tooth in a container with water, or milk, or saline to keep it moist. If you must hold the tooth, avoid touching the roots. The tooth should be held by the less delicate crown portion.
A tooth that has been successfully re-implanted has a high probability of needing root canal therapy. This is a very routine dental procedure with a high success rate. A root canal consists of cleaning the inside of the tooth and removing its nerves and blood vessels. A large filling, known as buildup, and a crown are used to restore most teeth that have undergone root canal therapy. There are several different crown materials available. Nowadays, tooth colored crowns are preferred by many patients. A dental crown will be cemented onto the tooth and will strengthen and protect it.
The tooth will very likely also need to be splinted to the adjacent teeth to stabilize it during healing. The goal is that over time, the tooth root will re-integrate with the surrounding bone and once again become stable. Dental splints are frequently made from wire and composite filling material. The whole process can be completed by a Los Altos area dentist. He will want to periodically continue to monitor the tooth for several months. X-rays are frequently used to monitor the healing progress. It is necessary to avoid biting directly on a tooth that has suffered trauma until it has completely healed.
You may wonder how it is even possible for a tooth to be knocked out. A common culprit is accidents, especially ones related to contact sports like football, basketball, wrestling and hockey. An automobile accident, a fall, or combat may also cause a tooth to fall out. Regularly wearing a seatbelt while driving or being a passenger in a car may help to prevent face and mouth injuries that could result during an accident. Just as protective gear is used for participants in many sports, special protective mouth guards can be obtained from a dentist near the city of Los Altos for those who play sports.
Hopefully you will never experience an avulsed tooth dental emergency, but if you do we are here to help. Don’t hesitate to give us a call.