If an adult tooth has been knocked out, this is the one dental situation where minutes genuinely count. Contact a dental practice immediately rather than waiting to see how it settles. A knocked-out permanent tooth has the best chance of being saved if it is handled by the crown, rinsed briefly without scrubbing, put back in the socket or kept in milk and seen by a dentist within about an hour, because the cells on the root begin to die once they dry out.
Symptoms that bring people in urgently: knocked-out tooth
- An adult tooth completely out of its socket
- A tooth knocked out during sport or a fall
- A child's tooth knocked out, different handling from an adult tooth
- Bleeding from the socket after an injury
- A tooth found some time after the injury
What the dentist may need to do
- Immediate contact with a dental practice, this is time-critical
- Handling the tooth by the crown, never the root
- Reimplantation and splinting where the tooth is viable
- Root-canal treatment as follow-up in most cases
- A replacement plan such as a single implant if it cannot be saved
The first few minutes
For an adult tooth, this is genuinely time-critical. Contact a dental practice immediately.
- Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown, never the root
- Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue
- If it is dirty, rinse briefly with milk or saline rather than scrubbing
- Keep it moist at all times, never let it dry out
- Contact a dental practice straight away
- Take the tooth with you to the appointment
Ask for an urgent appointment
Choose urgent.
Common questions
Knocked-Out Tooth: questions people ask
How long do I have?
Sooner is materially better, and the outlook declines steadily with time out of the socket. Call now. Don't arrange it for later today.
What should I keep the tooth in?
Keeping it moist is the priority. The practice you contact will give you specific instructions. Follow theirs, since it depends on what you have available and how quickly you can attend.
What if it is a child's baby tooth?
Baby teeth are generally not put back, because reimplantation can damage the developing adult tooth. Still have the child assessed.
What happens if it cannot be saved?
The gap is then a replacement decision: commonly a single implant, a bridge or a partial denture. Raise implants early, because socket preservation may be relevant.
What should I do in the first minutes after an adult tooth is knocked out?
Contact a dental practice immediately. This is the one dental situation where minutes count. Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown, never the root. Do not scrub it. Treat a child's tooth differently from an adult tooth. Do not wait to see how it settles.
What may the dentist do for a knocked-out tooth?
Reimplantation and splinting where the tooth is viable. Root-canal treatment as follow-up in most cases. A replacement plan, such as a single implant, if it cannot be saved. Bleeding from the socket after an injury is one reason people come in urgently. A tooth found some time after the injury is also worth bringing.