Primary teeth and permanent teeth are different for a variety of reasons. From the underlying permanence of these teeth to the ways that we care for them, it never hurts to know the ways that they differ. One of the areas of differences that we like to focus on is avulsion.
Let’s start with the definition of avulsion. Avulsion is a complete separation of a tooth from the socket because of a traumatic incident, but depending on what type of tooth it is and how it fell out, our team of pediatric dentists will react differently. While both will all for different forms of treatment, they do both require immediate treatment.
PRIMARY TEETH
The teeth that grow in during the first few years of a child’s life are not the ones that they end up with for the rest of their life, we all know this. While cavities aren’t ideal in this stage, and most certainly aren’t a good example of oral hygiene, these teeth will eventually fall out and be replaced by the permanent teeth. Depending on the age of the child, the stage of the tooth and where the tooth is located, your pediatric dentist will determine how important, and possible, it is to replant the tooth. Depending on the age of your child and how soon teeth would be growing in, replanting may not be necessary as these primary teeth would be falling out soon anyways.
PERMANENT TEETH
Avulsion for permanent teeth is a bit more serious because of the importance and permanence these teeth have. In the instance that one of your child’s teeth experiences trauma and falls out, pick up the tooth by the crown and make every effort to avoid the root of the tooth. If needed, rinse the tooth of with cool water before working on inserting the tooth back in the gap. Once in place, have them bite on a handkerchief or towel to get the tooth back in place. Once this is complete, seek dental care immediately.
Here at Encino Pediatric Dental Group, we have years of experience working on traumatic dental accidents and are prepared to take care of your child. Call our office for more questions, or in the case of an emergency, remain calm and call our office to let us know you’ll be stopping in.