A permanent tooth coming loose is one of the more severe dental injuries you can sustain, but there are measures you can take to salvage it.
What Causes Loose Teeth?
Most people will have their teeth come loose as the result of an injury. However, your likelihood of losing a tooth goes up if you have advanced tooth decay, gum disease, or similar problems.
Symptoms of Loose Teeth
It’s generally not too hard to tell if your tooth is coming loose or has already come loose. If you observe your gums peeling away from your tooth, pain in your teeth or jaw, or other problems, you may want to contact our Issaquah dentist.
What to Do When Your Tooth Comes Loose
It is possible that you may be able to save your tooth, even if it has completely fallen out. First, you will want to retrieve the tooth. Handle it by the crown, avoiding touching the roots as much as you can. Gently rinse it, but do not scrub it; if there is any living tissue left on the roots, you don’t want to strip it away.
If you can, put the tooth back into the socket. Should this not be possible, store it in milk or tap water and place gauze or a moist tea bag in the gap it as left behind, biting down upon it. Do NOT store it in alcohol, salt water, or mouthwash.
Get to your dentist as quickly as possible.
Loose tooth dental emergencies are a priority for us. We accommodate dental emergencies on a walk-in or call basis on the same day.
We will accommodate you the same day whether you come to our Issaquah or Auburn location. Our offices are open 23-24 days ever month (excluding Sunday) and our dentist is available on-call after hours for increased flexibility to address your needs.