Dentist boulder
 | When we fall on our backside, there is usually enough patting that
protects us for any serious injury. That is not the case when we fall on
our face. When this happens, we often see patients either breaking a
front tooth or knocking the tooth out completely. It is important for
you to know what you can do if you are so injured or you are around when
someone else injures their tooth. You should know what to do in case of
a traumatic accident to a tooth, just as you know to use the Heimlich
maneuver when someone is choking.
boulder dentist First let's talk about what to do if the tooth breaks. First find the broken piece of the tooth. Place it a small plastic sandwich bag or medication container and put in some milk, contact lens solution, bottled water, your own saliva or even tap water. These liquids will keep the tooth fragment from drying out until you can get to the dentist; even it this takes a few days. With the advances in dental bonding technology of the past few years, dentists today are able to bond the broken piece back onto the tooth. The fragment usually fits on the tooth like a puzzle piece and will almost always match much better than any man-made composite filling material. If the nerve has not been injured, no additional treatment may ever be needed. On the other hand if the tooth has been knocked out completely, and it's been less than an hour, try to position it back immediately in the socket. Then while holding it in position, get to the dentist as soon as possible. When handling the tooth, hold it by the crown and try not to touch the root. If the tooth is dirty, rinse it off with water before positioning it back in the socket. If it has been more than an hour since the tooth was knocked out, don't try to place it back in the socket. Treat it like a tooth fragment. Place it in a sandwich plastic bag or medicine bottle with one of the solutions described or keep it in your cheek. The sooner you get the see a dentist the better off you will be. I hope this basic information is of help if you should ever have occasion to use it. dentist boulder |
