Dental Trauma Treatments

Saving Your Teeth Before It's Too Late

Trust the experienced dentist at Albuquerque Emergency Dentists to save your teeth before you are left with no other option than to extract them. We provide emergency services ensuring you get the right treatment you require. Get in touch with us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We've served patients in Albuquerque since 1993.

Treatment for a Knocked-Out Tooth

What do I do if I knock out a tooth?

More than 5 million teeth are knocked out every year. If you know how to handle this emergency, you might be able to save the tooth. Teeth that are knocked out can be re-implanted if you act quickly and follow these simple steps:

1. Locate the tooth and handle it only by the crown (chewing part of the tooth), not by the roots.
2. Do not scrub or use soap or chemicals to clean the tooth. If it has dirt or debris on it, rinse it gently with your saliva or whole milk. If that is not possible, rinse it very gently with water.
3. Get to a dentist within 30 minutes. The longer you wait, the less chance there is for successful re-implantation.

Ways to transport the tooth

• Try to replace the tooth back in its socket immediately. Gently bite down on gauze, a wet tea bag or on your own teeth to keep the tooth in place. Apply a cold compress to the mouth for pain and swelling as needed.
• If the tooth cannot be placed back into the socket, then place the tooth in a container and cover with a small amount of your saliva or whole milk. You can also place the tooth under your tongue or between your lower lip and gums. Keep the tooth moist at all times. Do not transport the tooth in a tissue or cloth.
• Consider buying a 'save-a-tooth' storage container and keeping it as part of your home first aid kit. The kit is available in many pharmacies and contains a travel case and fluid solution for easy tooth transport.

Prognosis

The sooner the tooth is replaced back into the socket, the greater the likelihood it has to survive. So be prepared and remember these simple steps for saving a knocked-out tooth.

You can prevent broken or knocked-out teeth by

• Wearing a mouthguard when playing sports
• Always wearing your seatbelt
• Avoiding fights
• Avoid chewing hard items such as ice, popcorn kernels, hard bread, etc.

To save your tooth, your smile and your wallet, call Albuquerque Emergency Dentists right away! If you reach our answering service, leave a message and our emergency, ADA-accredited dentist will call you back ASAP. We offer same-day appointments as well.