If a tooth is knocked out: the first hour
An adult tooth that has been knocked out can sometimes be saved, and its chances depend most on the first hour. The knocked-out tooth guide has the full detail.
A baby tooth is different. Do not put a knocked-out baby tooth back, because that can damage the adult tooth forming underneath. Keep it and call anyway, and if you are not sure which kind it is, keep it in milk. For an adult tooth, do this where you are, before you start the drive:
- Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown, the part you chew with, not by the root.
- Rinse off any dirt with a few seconds in milk or saline. Do not scrub it or wrap it in a tissue.
- If you can, ease it back into the socket the way it came out, then bite gently on a clean cloth to keep it in place.
- If it will not go back, keep it in milk, not water. With no milk on the trail, an adult can hold it inside the cheek so it stays moist.
- Then call. From Pembroke the office is about 10 minutes away, and from the trail or the lake, longer.
If a tooth is chipped or broken
Keep any pieces you can find. Rinse your mouth with clean water and press a clean cloth on anything that is bleeding. A cold pack on the outside of the cheek helps with swelling, and a piece of sugarless gum over a sharp edge will keep it from cutting your tongue.
How soon it needs seeing depends on the break. Call right away if the tooth hurts, is loose or has been pushed out of place, or if there is a pink or red spot in the middle of the break, which can mean the nerve is showing. A small chip that does not hurt can often wait for a regular appointment, but call anyway: a tooth that took a hard knock can be hurt below the surface even when it looks fine.
What the repair looks like depends on how much of the tooth broke away and whether the nerve is involved. A small piece may need only a tooth-colored filling, and a larger break may need a crown, sometimes with root canal treatment first. The broken tooth guide goes through each case.
When to go to the emergency room first
Some injuries need a hospital before they need a dentist. Go to an emergency room for a suspected broken jaw, such as teeth that suddenly do not meet or a jaw that hurts to move. Go for bleeding that will not stop after firm pressure, trouble breathing or swallowing, or swelling that is closing an eye or spreading down the neck.
After a hard fall, a blow to the head that has left someone confused, vomiting or unconscious comes before any tooth. Once the hospital has done its part, call us about the dental side.
Getting here from Pembroke and Ripplemead
Pembroke is 6.1 miles east of our office along US 460, about 10 minutes by car. Ripplemead is 3.6 miles away, about 8 minutes. Both are measured from the middle of town on a clear road. The Cascades trail and Mountain Lake are farther up the road, so from either one, allow longer.
The office is on Tazewell Street in Pearisburg, with parking at the door. Patients are seen Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Appointment scheduling is available 24/7 by phone, so if a tooth breaks over a weekend, you do not have to wait for office hours to call.
Everyday care, about 10 minutes away
Accidents are the exception. Most dental care is ordinary: a cleaning and exam twice a year, a filling before a cavity grows, a crown when a tooth has cracked. Being about 10 minutes away makes that easier to keep up with, and makes it easier to come in when a tooth first feels different.
If a knocked-out tooth cannot be saved, the gap does not have to stay. A single-tooth implant is placed right here in the office, and a bridge or a partial denture can also fill the space. We will explain which suits your mouth, with a written estimate before anything is scheduled.
Questions patients ask
What should I do if a tooth is knocked out on a hike?
If it is an adult tooth, hold it by the crown, not the root, and rinse off any dirt with milk or saline. Put it back in the socket if you can, or keep it moist in milk or, for an adult, inside the cheek. Then call us, because the first hour matters most.
Is a chipped tooth an emergency?
It depends on the break. Pain, a loose tooth or a pink spot in the middle of the break means call right away. A small chip that does not hurt can often wait for a regular appointment, but call so we can decide that together.
Should I go to the emergency room or the dentist?
Go to an emergency room first for a suspected broken jaw, bleeding that will not stop after firm pressure, trouble breathing or swallowing, swelling that is closing an eye or spreading down the neck, or a head injury with confusion, vomiting or passing out. For a broken or knocked-out tooth on its own, call us.
How far is your office from Pembroke and Ripplemead?
From the middle of Pembroke it is 6.1 miles along US 460, about 10 minutes. From Ripplemead it is 3.6 miles, about 8 minutes. Our office is on Tazewell Street in Pearisburg, and you can park at the door.