Monthly Archives: July 2013

Dental Emergency

Emergency Preparation: A knocked out tooth

I’ve been making out a list of emergency prepardness sheets for a workshop I’ve been invited to speak. I thought it would be useful to list one of my sheets.

Dealing With A Knocked Out Tooth

1. Get to the dentist as quickly as possible. It is ideal to get there within the first 30 minutes. If you cannot reach your dentist do a quick Google search for an emergency dentist. However, seeing as we’re making a preparedness chart, it wouldn’t hurt to do a search for emergency dentists ahead of time so you have a list ready.

2. Call the dentist ahead of time so they can be prepared for you when you get there.

3. Carefully remove any dirt from your tooth by holding it by the crown (the top visible part of your tooth) and gently rinse it with water. DO NOT  scrub the tooth. DO NOT  hold the tooth by the root part.

4. Keep the tooth moist. You can do this by holding it between your cheek and gum, or by placing it in a cup of milk.

Now you know what to do with a knocked out tooth.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Dentures

Tired of dental problems

If I’m tired of dealing with dental problems, can I just have them all removed and get dentures?

Wally G.- Little Rock, AR

Wally,

I am of the philosophy that even difficult teeth are better than no teeth. With the best fitting dentures your chewing efficiency is lessened by 50%.

Of course they are your teeth and you can do what you want, but I would see which of your teeth are worth saving and which really need to go. Then, instead of getting dentures, or partial dentures, I recommend you get dental implants. They will look and function just like normal healthy teeth. They’ll be much more comfortable and you’ll be able to eat normally as well.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.