Trauma

Each year, more than 5 million teeth are removed. Children and adults are both in danger. A tooth that has been completely knocked out of its socket can often be successfully replanted and last for years with the right emergency care. As a result, it is critical to be ready and knowledgeable about what to do in case this occurs to you or a member of your party. The secret is to take swift but composed action while adhering to these easy steps. The 5 steps are listed below:

Step 1: Pick up the tooth by the crown, not the root, which is the chewing surface.

Do not leave the tooth at the scene of the accident; find it right away. To prevent harm to the root, handle the tooth gently and only make contact with the crown.

Step 2: Gently rinse the tooth with water if it is dirty.

If the tooth is filthy, gently rinse it with water while keeping an eye out not to touch the root surface.

Utilize neither soap nor chemicals.
Avoid cleaning the tooth.
Avoid drying the tooth.
Not in a tissue or piece of cloth.

Step 3: If at all possible, put the tooth back in its socket right away.

The likelihood that a tooth will survive increases with speed of replacement. Reinsert the tooth by either positioning it above the socket and slowly closing your mouth, or gently pushing it into the socket with your fingers. With your fingers or by lightly biting down on it, keep the tooth in place. Visit an endodontist or dentist as soon as you can, ideally within 30 minutes.

Step 4: Constantly moisten your teeth.

The tooth must not be allowed to dry out outside of the mouth. Put it in one of the following if it can’t be replaced in the socket:

– Milk – Mouth – Emergency tooth preservation kit (next to cheek)

Use water if none of these are feasible (with a pinch of salt, if possible).
Within 30 minutes, visit an endodontist or the closest accessible dentist.

Step 5: Book an appointment with an endodontist or the closest open dentist within 30 minutes.

Bring the tooth in as soon as you can, ideally within 30 minutes, to a dentist or endodontist. Even if the tooth has been out of the mouth for an hour or longer, it may still be possible to save it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do i need root canal treatment?

Root canal treatment is very successful but in some cases a patient may need a root canal re-treatment if their previous root canal treatment has failed. This depends on the particular case but it may be because the treatment has not healed correctly or an infection is present in the tooth.

Is it painful?

The nerve has been removed in a tooth that has had root canal treatment. Even though there is no nerve a dentist will still use anaesthetic to numb the area so that the patient will not feel any pain during the procedure. After the numbness wears off there may be slight discomfort for a few days which pain killers can help with. It is recommended that the patient does not chew on anything hard on that side to prevent the tooth fracturing before the permanent crown is placed.

How successful is it?

How successful a root canal re-treatment is, depends on the pervious treatment of the tooth and the reasons of its failure. Usually, the success rate for a re-treated tooth can range from 75% to 88%.

How long does it take?

A root canal retreatment usually takes around the same amount of time as the original treatment. A visit is usually between 30 to 60 minutes but can take longer if the case is difficult. If there is a lot of inflammation or the treatment is complex there may be more than one appointment needed to make sure the treatment heals correctly.

The average root canal treatment is 30 to 60 minutes long. More complex cases may take around 90 minutes. A root canal typically requires one or two appointments to complete.

What does the procedure involve?

An oral examination is initially carried out with diagnostic testing tools, such as X-rays, imaging and biopsy to isolate the cause of infection. The spread of dental pulp infection is tracked, so that the exact location of infected root canals can be identified. Once a patient consents to the root canal procedure a treatment date is set. The patient’s teeth will first be cleaned and a local anaesthetic is given to numb the treatment area for pain-free root canal treatment.

The oral surgeon then uses a dental drill to gently access the inner tooth pulp. A dental instrument is used to carefully scrape away the infected tooth root tissue. Based on the severity of infection and treatment required, the patient may need time to recover from the initial procedure before receiving further root canal treatment.

Once the infected dental pulp and tooth root tissue are removed, a dental substance known as gutta percha is inserted into the space to secure the tooth within the jawbone and prevent the return of infection. A dental crown may then be placed over the tooth surface to solidify structure and improve dental bite function.