- Stephan Krasner
The Mayo Clinic Now Recommends Every First Aid Kit Should Contain a Save-A-Tooth® System
Knocked out teeth can be saved for life but must be stored in a Save-A-Tooth system within the first hour of the accident. That’s why they should be a part of every first aid kit.
WAYNE, PA (PRWEB) DECEMBER 5, 2010
The Mayo Clinic advises that a well-stocked first aid kit can help people respond effectively to common injuries and emergencies. They feel that people should keep at least one first-aid kit at home and one in their car. Among many other items in the kit, the Mayo Clinic recommends including a Save-A-Tooth emergency tooth preserving system – the only first aid device that can store and preserve knocked out teeth for 24 hours, long enough so that the teeth can be reimplanted by a dentist. Basic first aid kits containing Save-A-Tooth’s are available on Amazon.com. (*To see a complete listing of what the Mayo Clinic recommends, go to http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-kits/FA00067). The importance of having a Save-A-Tooth in every first aid kit is that once a tooth is knocked out, there is a very small window of time, 15 minutes to one hour, in which it can be saved. “The cells on the root of a knocked out tooth are very delicate,” says Dr. Henry Rankow, diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics. “They must be protected and nourished during the first hour while they are out of their socket. Only special devices can do that and they must be available immediately.” Over five million teeth are knocked out annually in the United States during sports, automobile accidents, and in the home. With the use of Save-A-Tooth, the only ADA-accepted, FDA-approved storage device, over 90 percent, or 4.5 million, of these teeth may be able to be successfully reimplanted. Without this system, only 10 percent of knocked out teeth can be successfully reimplanted since they begin to die within 15 minutes. A knocked out tooth that can’t be successfully reimplanted translates into an average expense of $3,000 in treatment and up to $30,000 over a lifetime. Once knocked out teeth are placed into a Save-A-Tooth, however, they are safe and protected from harm during transport to the emergency room or dentist’s office. A parent or ambulance driver can attend to a suffering accident victim without having to worry about the knocked out tooth. In fact, once placed in a Save-A-Tooth, knocked out teeth are safe for 24 hours and can then be reimplanted. “Being informed and prepared for a tooth being knocked out can mean the difference between gigantic bills leading to a lifetime of dental problems and a relatively straightforward re-implantation by a dentist or oral surgeon,” says Dr. Paul Krasner, clinical professor of endodontics at Temple University School of Dentistry. “Millions of teeth are knocked out every year that could be saved if the right equipment were available when an accident occurs,” he adds.
