Dr. Hall,
What do you think of this product, Save-A-Tooth? Is it worthwhile?
– Annmarie from Arkansas

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Annmarie,
I’ve looked it over, and it looks legitimate–based on sound dental principles.

What they have here is a kit that is designed to help keep a tooth alive after it has been knocked out (avulsed). If you have an accident that causes a tooth to be knocked out, if that tooth is replanted within half an hour, the chances are good that it will survive. When this would happen and a patient would call our office, we would tell them to not touch the root but keep the tooth moist and come in immediately and we would put it back for them. Sometimes we were fast enough and we got the replanted tooth to survive just fine. Other times we weren’t and the tooth would heal initially but then become a victim to external resorption and eventually fall out.

What they have done with Save-A-Tooth is provide first, a solution that is specifically designed to help keep the tooth ligament alive. It contains a balanced salt solution that is especially gentle to the tissue. It is the condition of this ligament that determines whether or not the tooth will reattach successfully to the jawbone. For example, if the patient were to try to clean off the tooth, that would guarantee failure. They say that the tooth can be kept alive for up to 24 hours. That seems like a stretch to me, but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that it worked for a couple of hours at least–plenty of time to get to a dentist and get the tooth replanted. Second, the container is designed to carry the tooth gently without any damage to the delicate ligament tissue.

All in all, the product seems based on sound dental principles.

It can be bought as a stand-alone product for about $20, or as part of a general first-aid kit, either directly from the company or through Amazon. The company gives it a three-year shelf life. Is it worth it to buy it? You’ll have to make that decision on your own–weigh the risks that someone in your family will knock out a tooth and you will have this kit handy at the time, weigh that against the cost. Most of these accidents happen to young men ages 8 to 18. If the accident happens and it takes you half an hour to find and retrieve the kit, you may as well spend the time getting to the dentist’s office. But if you have the kit handy, it could be a tooth-saver. (For ages 6 and under, an avulsed front tooth is going to be a baby tooth and I wouldn’t recommend trying to replant it.)
– Dr. Hall

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