By Leanne Shelton
Last summer, my oldest son flipped over the handlebars on his bike. I have three boys, and we’ve been through stitches and broken bones before. So when he came inside screaming and bleeding, I remained pretty calm as I treated his chin wound and got ready to take him to urgent care for stitches or glue. Thankfully he was wearing his helmet, or it could have been much worse!
During the midst of his crying, however, I happened to glance at his mouth and noticed that his front left tooth was chipped. His PERMANENT tooth, which wasn’t even in all the way, was chipped! Naturally, I panicked. Skin and bones heal but teeth don’t grow back. His first permanent tooth was already chipped.
I called our dentist in Phoenixville, Dr. Daniel Green, who told us to come right to his office. He ended up fixing my son’s tooth with some bonding, and it looks perfect now.
Dr. Green is featured in this week’s 30 Seconds to Save a Life video by Shoen Safety and Training. In the video he discusses what you should do in a dental emergency – if you lose a tooth or break a tooth. Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/Tom5V0xzNtg
If your tooth is knocked out completely:
-Quickly find it.
-Pick it up by the crown. Do not touch the roots. The crown is the part of the tooth that you see in your mouth and use to chew.
-Put the tooth in your mouth and keep it there until you get to your dentist. Your spit with protect it. Do not try to reinsert it into the hole.
-If you are afraid that the tooth will be swallowed, spit into a cup and put the tooth in the spit.
-Go to your dentist within a hour, if possible. If it’s not possible, get to your dentist as soon as you can.
Once you get to your dentist, he or she will proceed appropriately. You will need a root canal, but there is an 80-90% success rate of your roots reattaching.
If you break a tooth, you don’t need to bring the broken piece to your dentist unless you’d like to. Your dentist will repair the tooth with either a crown or bonding. A crown is needed if there is a lot of damage to the remaining tooth. Your dentist will prepare the tooth and cover it with a cap (crown).
If your remaining tooth isn’t damaged, your dentist will bond it. Bonding is a resin material that they use to “bond” to your tooth. This is the procedure that my son had. It took less than an hour and looks perfect.
Also, as I have learned, there is no need to panic because teeth can be fixed too!
If you live in the Phoenixville area and would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Daniel Green, call 610-933-7700.
For more information on dental care, contact Shoen Safety and Training. To learn CPR and First Aid and become American Red Cross certified, register for a CPR/First Aid class with Shoen Safety and Training. There are a lot of options available to fit your schedule. The peace of mind that you’ll get from knowing how to respond in an emergency situation is priceless.
