You can chip, crack, or break your tooth in multiple ways. The most common ones include playing sports without a mouthguard, opening a bottle with your teeth, cracking nuts with your teeth, or biting down on something hard. While accidents are an unavoidable part of life, you can minimize the extent of damage caused by administering proper first aid to the injury.
Completely Knocked Out Tooth
If your tooth has fallen out of its socket because of trauma to the mouth, you will have five minutes to administer first aid to prevent the need for a graft. The first thing you should do is pick up the tooth, and rinse it and your mouth with cold water.
Ensure you don’t touch the root of the tooth and hold it from the crown/ enamel. Once your mouth is free of debris, take the tooth and plant it firmly in the socket, all the while avoiding touching the root. Hold it there using substantial pressure, so it doesn’t fall back out, and visit your dentist immediately.
If you find yourself unable to control the bleeding enough to replant the tooth, place the tooth in cold milk or water to prevent it from drying out, all the while applying pressure on the injury to stop the bleeding. If the injured person is old enough, place the tooth in the mouth to keep it lubricated with saliva.
Chipped teeth
If your chip your tooth, locate the broken piece immediately and place it in cold milk to keep it lubricated. Do not attempt to place the chipped piece in the mouth, as even adults run the risk of swallowing such a small piece. Visit your dentist immediately with the broken piece as they may be able to fix it with the help of tooth-colored bonding.
Fracture
For a fracture, you will have to visit your dentist immediately. Avoid touching it or running your tongue over the tooth as you make your way to the dentist as the tooth may break. In case the fracture extends to the gum tissue, saving the tooth may be impossible.
Primary tooth care
If your child ends up breaking their primary tooth, do not attempt to replant it as it may damage the permanent tooth lying underneath. Rinse your mouth with cold water and place pressure to stop bleeding and take your child to the dentist immediately.