Emergency
My tooth was knocked out — can it be saved?
Often yes, if you act fast. For an adult tooth, hold it by the crown, place it back in the socket, and see a dentist within the hour. Can't reinsert it? Keep it in milk. Never reimplant a baby tooth.
The first hour matters most
For a knocked-out adult tooth, the clock is everything — the first thirty to sixty minutes give it the best chance of surviving. Pick it up by the crown, never the root. If it's grubby, rinse it for no more than about ten seconds under cold running water, no scrubbing and no soap, then ease it gently back into the socket the right way round and bite softly on a clean cloth or gauze to hold it there. Then phone us or an emergency dental service straight away.
If you simply can't get it back in, keep it wet whatever you do. A cup of milk is your best bet; saline or the person's own saliva will also do. Steer clear of leaving it in tap water, and never let it dry out — don't wrap it in a tissue or a serviette, which is the commonest way a savable tooth is lost on the way to the practice.
One important exception — baby teeth
A knocked-out baby tooth is different: never try to push it back in. Doing so can harm the developing adult tooth waiting quietly beneath it. Instead, keep your child calm, control any bleeding with gentle pressure on gauze, and phone the practice so we can check everything is as it should be.
Whether it's an adult or a baby tooth, a knock hard enough to remove one deserves a proper look — there may be other damage to the lip, gum or nearby teeth. Get in touch quickly and we'll see you as an emergency.
If it's your child, two extra things
You may not be sure whether it's a baby tooth or an adult one, and in the moment that's completely understandable — baby teeth are smaller and whiter with a short, thin root, and children generally lose them between about six and twelve. If you genuinely can't tell, don't push it back in. Put it in a cup of cold milk and get to us or to an emergency service as fast as you can, and let someone who can see it decide.
And don't have a younger child hold the tooth in their cheek. It's sound advice for an adult, but a frightened child can swallow or breathe in a small tooth, which turns one problem into a worse one. Milk in a cup, every time.
When the injury is bigger than the tooth
A tooth is important. A head is more important. If the person was knocked out even briefly, is drowsy, confused or vomiting, has a bad headache, or is bleeding from somewhere you can't control, go to your nearest emergency department or call an ambulance on 10177 — or 112 from a mobile. Take the tooth with you in milk, but don't let looking for it delay anything.
If you can't find the tooth at all, mention it to whoever sees you. A missing tooth after a fall or a blow may have been swallowed, or breathed in, and that needs checking rather than assuming. It's also worth saying if the injury happened on soil, gravel or anything dirty, so your tetanus cover can be considered.
Our practices are open on weekdays and Saturday mornings, so a knock outside those hours won't reach us straight away. Don't sit and wait for us to open — the replantation window is measured in tens of minutes, not hours. Go to your nearest hospital emergency department or an after-hours dental service, keep the tooth in milk on the way, and let us know as soon as we're open so we can follow up.
Common questions
Can a knocked-out tooth really be put back?
Yes, an adult tooth often can if you act within the hour — reinsert it by the crown or keep it in milk, then see a dentist urgently. A baby tooth should never be reimplanted.
What's the best way to store a knocked-out tooth?
Milk is ideal. An adult can hold it inside their cheek instead, but never a young child — they may swallow it. Never let it dry out, never wrap it in tissue, and never leave it in tap water.
I can't find the knocked-out tooth — does it matter?
Yes, tell whoever sees you. A tooth missing after a blow may have been swallowed or breathed in, and that needs checking rather than assuming. Don't delay treatment to keep searching for it.
It's after hours — should I wait until you open?
No. The window for saving an adult tooth is tens of minutes, not hours. Go to your nearest hospital emergency department or an after-hours dental service, keep the tooth in milk, and tell us once we open.
What if there might be a head injury too?
The head comes first. Knocked out even briefly, drowsy, confused, vomiting or bleeding you can't control means an emergency department or an ambulance on 10177. Take the tooth along in milk.