What do cows, coconuts, and salt have in common? Well, they can save your front tooth for reattachment. Milk, coconut water, and saline are the top three storage options for preserving a tooth fragment before seeing your dentist. Keeping the fragment hydrated is vital for successful reattachment.
Is it the end of the world if you come to the dental office with a dehydrated tooth fragment? No, the dentist will rehydrate the tooth for at least 15 minutes before reattachment. Ideally, the rehydration time should be equal to the dehydration time (i.e. if the fragment is three days old without a storage medium, ideally should rehydrate for three days). Furthermore, the older the fragment without a storage medium, it adapts a more lighter and matte appearance. Interestingly, after some time in the mouth after reattachment, the original color may return.
What if you lost your fragment completely? No worries, direct restoration with pre-heated composite resin showed similar results to sound tooth structure.
Lastly, the best outcomes of reattachment occur with single fragments. If there are multiple fragments of the same tooth, your dentist might recommend direct restoration using composite.
References
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Poubel, D. L. N., Almeida, J. C. F., Dias Ribeiro, A. P., Maia, G. B., Martinez, J. M. G., &
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Pereira, R. V., Tabata, L. F., Rosemberg, E. T., Ribeiro, A. P. D., Poubel, D. L. N., & Garcia, F. C.
P. (2023). Fragment reattachment or direct restoration? An in vitro study. Dental
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Macedo, G. V., & Ritter, A. V. (2009). Essentials of rebonding tooth fragments for the best
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