Dental accident – What to do? First aid to save a tooth!
Playing sports, romping around, riding a bike – an accident can happen at any time, from inattention, carelessness, or misjudgement. A piece of the tooth might break off, the tooth may become loose or shift, or possibly the whole tooth could fall out. The incisors at the front are the most likely to be damaged.
It is important to keep calm and act quickly. A tooth that falls out should be found and taken with the patient to the dentist. If it is a milk tooth that has fallen out, you should visit a dentist with your child within a few days.
Taking action quickly and correctly is crucial
If the lost tooth is a permanent tooth, it is important to not touch the root of the tooth and not to clean or disinfect it. To transport the tooth in an emergency, place the tooth in milk, an isotonic salt water solution, or in a bag with a bit of saliva. As a precaution you can buy special tooth rescue boxes at the pharmacy that are designed to transport fallen out teeth. Go directly to the dentist – taking swift action is decisive in saving a tooth.
Even though there may not be anything to see and everything appears to be okay, the root of the tooth could be damaged. If not treated, this can lead to further damage and complications, the magnitude of which may only be noticeable years later. The damage could also be much more expensive to treat later than it is if treated immediately after the accident.
We can tend to patients with knocked-out, shifted, or broken teeth immediately. After documenting the case, we also file it with the proper accident insurance company for you.
It is important that you notify your insurance of the dental accident without delay as well. The costs for a dental accident are normally covered by the obligatory basic insurance plan.
