It’s incredibly vital that you keep an emergency dentist on speed dial in the event that any sort of accident occurs that results in an injury to your teeth and/or gums. That being said…there will be times when you have to act fast, even before you can get in to see a dentist, so that you can prevent permanent damage from occurring.

#1 Tip For Saving a Broken Tooth

When you break a tooth you have a very short amount of time to take steps to prevent the loss of that tooth.

The first thing I usually tell patients who ask me these questions is that you need to place the broken piece of tooth into a cup of milk, if it is possible. The calcium of the milk will allow the tooth to keep moist and alive, which will give our dental office a greater chance of saving that tooth a preventing the need for a denture, crown or dental implant.

I recall one particular patient who had tripped while bowling and hit his mouth on his bowling ball. It caused his front right tooth to snap in half.

Luckily, he had been smart enough to keep the part of the tooth that had broken off and placed it in a cup of milk without delay. When he arrived at our office we used dental epoxy to put the broken tooth piece back in place, which was a less costly alternative to needing to go the greater expensive route of applying a dental crown.

So, if you ever break a tooth remember to put the piece of broken off tooth in a cup of milk. Now, what if you don’t have milk available? If that’s the case, then place the broken off tooth in water. Water will keep your tooth piece from drying out, which makes it hard and brittle. The calcium will keep the tooth as alive as it would be in your mouth.

Naturally, be sure to call an emergency dentist as quickly as possible to give you the best chance of reparing and saving your tooth.