What to Do When Your Front Tooth Falls Out: Three Solutions

When you’re a child, losing a tooth is an exciting event. You wiggle it out and anticipate the tooth fairy paying you a visit. It can be a joyous occasion to lose a tooth.

But losing a tooth as an adult is an entirely different story, especially when it’s your front tooth. Whether you get a hole in your smile from an intense sports game or some kind of accident, losing a tooth is no joking matter.

Thankfully, dentists offer some great option to mend your mouth. With their easy, relatively painless procedures, you can get your full, sparkling white smile back in no time.

Here, we share five things you should know when you need to fill in that gap quick, including three possible solutions for you.

Start by Caring for Your Mouth

Before you even get to the dentist to get the hole filled, you need to start with care, and fast. Especially if your tooth falls out due to trauma, try to remain calm. Fusion Dental Care, a dentist in Raleigh, notes that staying call will help to minimize the bleeding in your mouth and help you focus on your next steps.

Also, do not to grab the root when recovering your tooth. If you grab the root, you may cause further damage. Only touch the crown part of the tooth.

Before trying to put it back in your mouth, make sure the tooth is clean. You can rinse the tooth with water, milk or a sterile saline solution. There’s no need to scrub the tooth clean. A simple rinse will do the trick.

Try to Reinsert Your Tooth

If you’re in a position where you’re able to, one option you may have is to reinsert the tooth into the empty socket in your mouth. HealthDay suggests placing the tooth back in the mouth by gently biting down on a cloth to help keep the tooth from moving around in your mouth. Even just keeping the tooth in your mouth with saliva will help your tooth be reimplanted at the dentist.

Based on your condition or how the tooth fell out, you may not be able to reinsert your tooth back into your mouth. In such case, HealthDay recommends storing the tooth in milk. Plain water does not preserve the tooth, which would limit the chances of it being able to be reimplanted. Typically, you only have one hour to get to the dentist to reinsert your tooth, so don’t wait to get it taken care of.

The Best Option Is to Save the Original Tooth

Depending on the predicament you may find yourself it, the best option you can pursue is to save your original tooth. In this case, the dentist will try to position the tooth back in your mouth. You’ll also learn how to allow the tissue around the tooth to heal around your tooth. While this may not be an option in all situations, it is ideal to keep the original tooth.

Whether you’re able to save the tooth or not, it’s very important to somehow replace your lost tooth. Failing to fill in the gap may result in gum issues and poor oral health. Fusion Dental Care adds that failure to replacing your tooth can lead to gum disease, decay and bone loss in your jaw.

If your own tooth can’t be used, there are other options you can pursue.

Another Option Is Dental Implants

When your tooth can’t be reinserted back in, getting dental implants is an effective replacement option. Dental implants work by fusing with the surrounding bone to create a stronger bond in your mouth. Once an implant is in, a crown is placed over the implant. The crown can even look and feel like the tooth that you had lost.

This option also comes with some stipulations that may not make it possible for all cases. Dental implants require a healing period of three months. Depending on your situation, you may be able to get an implant and temporary crown done in just one day.

A Third Option Is a Fixed Bridge

When a dental implant and crown isn’t an option, a dental bridge may be used. A dental bridge is made up of two crowns that go around the surrounding teeth. An artificial tooth fills in the gap between. The bridge is then fit in comfortably and fused to the other teeth.

While it may be natural to panic when you first lose your front tooth as an adult, there are solutions. Whether you choose to reinsert your tooth, get a dental implant or fit in a fixed bridge, your full, bright smile can be back in no time.