It could happen in sports, in an auto accident, or falling of your bike. You get hit in the mouth, and out comes your tooth Now what? Despite the pain and blood, you know you have to do something. Don't panic. All is not lost. Your tooth can be saved. With the proper steps, your tooth can be put back into place, and over time will be as good as new.

The key is to act promptly, and protect the tooth roots as much as possible. When you pick the tooth up, only handle the top part of the tooth, never handle it by the roots, this could cause damage to that part of the tooth, and possibly reduce the chances of saving the tooth. If there is dirt on the tooth, gently rinse it in a bowl of tap water. Do not hold it under running water, and never rub or scrape it to remove the dirt. This could also damage the roots (remember: protect the roots).

Try to fit the tooth back into the socket. Once it is in place, you can gently bite down on a piece of rolled up gauze, or a moistened tea bag to help hold it in place. The sooner you can get the tooth back into place, the better your chances of successfully saving the tooth. If you can't replace the tooth,immediately place the tooth in a whole milk if it's available. If you don't have whole milk, you can also place the tooth in a warm salt water solution (about 1/4 tsp. of salt per quart of water).

After you have taken these steps, get to a dentist or the emergency room as quickly as you can

Again, the key is to act quickly, calmly, and protect the roots. Before long that pearly-white smile will be as good as new.

Learn more about this author, Jim Smoot.
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