MURRAY, Utah — A local endodontist is taking action to help people save their natural teeth after traumatic injuries, offering free emergency kits designed to preserve knocked-out teeth until professional help arrives.
Dr. Richard Bauman of Elevate Endodontics has noticed an alarming trend in his practice – more patients, especially children, are coming in with dental trauma from sports and everyday accidents. "You're really sad when a 13-year-old comes in with their front tooth broken and you realize that this is going to be a problem for the rest of their life," Bauman said.
The rise in organized, competitive sports has made teeth increasingly vulnerable to injury, according to Bauman, who says he's seen more cases in the past year. "It just seems in the last year that I've seen more," Bauman said.
To address this growing problem, Bauman created what he calls "Elevate Tooth Rescue" kits – free emergency resources containing a special salt solution designed to preserve a tooth's root after it's been knocked out.
The preservation solution is crucial because it dramatically increases the chances of successfully reimplanting a natural tooth, avoiding the need for a dental implant later.
When someone loses a tooth, time is critical. The ideal scenario involves immediately placing the tooth back in its socket. "Perfect scenario, someone has to be brave enough to put them back. The faster the tooth gets put back in the mouth, the better," Bauman said.
For those who find a knocked-out tooth, Bauman recommends handling only the crown – the visible part of the tooth – and avoiding touching the root. After rinsing the root gently with the provided solution to remove dirt, the tooth should be lined up and placed back in the mouth.
If reinsertion isn't possible or the person feels uncomfortable doing it themselves, the tooth should be placed in the solution container and taken to a dentist immediately.
Each kit is designed for single use, which Bauman hopes will be sufficient for most people. "This is a one-time use. Hopefully, you don't need it any more than one time," Bauman said.
The free kits are available to anyone who wants to keep them as an emergency resource, representing Bauman's commitment to preventive dental care and community education.
For your free Tooth Rescue Kit call Elevate Endodontics at 801-590-8687. They are located at 6045 South Fashion Blvd., Murray, Ut 84107
