There are moments in life that you can't just predict. Maybe your teen gets their tooth knocked out while playing sports, or maybe you walked into a glass door without noticing its closed. Sometimes tooth injuries can occur due to accidents, but it doesn't necessarily mean the tooth is lost for good.

A knocked-out tooth requires immediate, dental care by an emergency dentist so that it can be replanted successfully. Once you experience a knocked-out tooth, it's important to act quickly and visit the nearest emergency dentist for medical support.

You can save a knocked-out tooth by taking proper emergency steps to preserve it. Here are reasons why preserving your tooth is important.

Natural is better

Your natural tooth will always outdo a tooth replacement. Although there are great tooth replacement options such as dental implants, nothing matches the functionality and appearance of natural teeth.

Bone structure

Natural teeth are crucial to maintaining and supporting your face's bone structure. In fact, failure to replace a missing tooth can lead to a few problems down the line.

Jaw health

Natural teeth are crucial to avoiding bite irregularities. Teeth replacement such as dentures can lead to a difficulty in eating foods that you enjoy or even cause speech problems.

Smile aesthetics

Teeth are an integral part of facial aesthetics. Maintaining an attractive smile enhances your personality and self-confidence. Maintaining a whole set of natural teeth is crucial to making your smile look healthy and attractive.

Mouth function

Natural teeth maintain the natural structure of your mouth and jaw which allow you normal mouth function. Maintaining natural teeth helps your mouth to stay more resilient to problems such as decay, plaque infection and other severe dental conditions.

Cheaper alternative

Although dental implants are strong and great teeth replacements, they still require an investment. Saving knocked out tooth saves you money that you can use for other investments such as refining your natural teeth or teeth whitening.

So, how do you save a knocked-out tooth?

•    Pick up the tooth gently by the crown and not by the root to ensure little damage as possible to the roots for chances of a successful placement back in place.

•    If dirty, only use water to rinse it off.

•    Place the tooth back in its original socket immediately, if possible. Use your finger to push it in and hold it in place using your finger or by lightly biting down on it.

•    If you're not able to place the tooth back in its original place, keep it moist by putting it in milk and not water.

•    Once you have preserved the knocked out tooth, its best to see an emergency dentist within 30 minutes of injury.

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