Have a broken or loose tooth? We can help!

Have you or any of your family members injured a tooth these past few months? Maybe you got a little overzealous with some corn on the cob, maybe your daughter tripped during a game of tag and chipped her tooth, or maybe your mother chipped her tooth on a walnut, we can help fix these broken and loose teeth!

The Center for Cosmetic & Family Dentistry wants to restore your chipped, cracked, broken, or loose tooth to as much of its previous health and appearance as we can, so we’ve given you some tips for how to take care of the situation until you can get in to our Destin or Panama City Beach offices.

However a tooth gets fractured, cracked, chipped, broken, or knocked loose, what matters is how you respond to the situation. Here are some pointers if you find yourself dealing with a tooth injury:

Are your loose teeth still attached?

Leave it there! No matter how loose it is, whether it’s hanging on by a thread; if it is connected in any way, do not try to remove it. It really is best to keep the tooth in your mouth. Call Dr. Dennis Lichorwic, Dr. Julia Skinner, or Dr. Stephanie Baya as soon as possible and we can give you pointers on what to do next. If you’re in the Destin or Panama City Beach area we will do our best to fit you in to an emergency appointment.

If the tooth is out of your mouth

First, if you find the tooth on the ground or in some other dirty place, make sure to rinse it off in lukewarm water. Don’t try to disinfect it, scrub it, or remove any tissue attached to it, however. Most importantly, do not let it dry out! All of these factors will make it very hard for Dr. Lichorwic, Dr. Skinner or Dr. Baya to put the tooth back in your mouth. Preserve the tooth in milk until you can get to our office, or lukewarm water can be substituted if milk is not available.

Now get to the office!

Time is the most important factor determining whether or not Dr. Lichorwic, Dr. Skinner or Dr. Baya will be able to get the tooth back in your mouth or repair it successfully. Less than 30 minutes is really the optimal choice, but re-implantation and repair are still possible after several hours when the tooth is properly cared for.

If you or a family member has broken or lost a tooth be sure to call us from anywhere in the Destin or Panama City Beach area for advice on what to do next! We have emergency appointments available for your convenience.