Written and clinically reviewed by Dr. Andrew Korcek, DDS, FAGD · Korcek Dental, Minden, Nevada
What to do in a dental emergency
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Pick the tooth up by the crown, never the root. Do not scrub it. Rinse briefly with milk or saline, put it back in the socket if you can, and bite gently on a cloth. If you cannot reinsert it, keep it in milk. Call (775) 782-9177 immediately. The first hour decides the outcome.
Do this, in this order
Find it and pick it up by the crown
The crown is the chewing surface. The root surface carries living cells that make reattachment possible, and touching or wiping them destroys the tooth's chance.
Do not scrub, and do not remove tissue fragments
Debris on the root looks like something to clean off. It is not. Leave it.
Rinse briefly if visibly dirty
Milk or sterile saline. Not tap water, which damages root cells, and not for more than a few seconds.
Reinsert it if you can
Back into the socket, the right way round, and bite softly on a clean cloth to hold it. The socket is the best storage medium there is.
If you cannot, store it in milk
Milk is the practical best option most households have. Saliva works. Water does not.
Call immediately
(775) 782-9177. Say the words knocked-out tooth.
Why the hour matters
The root is coated in periodontal ligament cells. Those cells are alive when the tooth leaves the mouth and they begin dying almost immediately once dry. Reimplantation succeeds when enough survive to reattach.
Dry time is the enemy, not elapsed time. A tooth kept moist for ninety minutes has a far better outlook than one that sat on a bathroom counter for twenty.
Baby teeth are different
Do not reinsert a knocked-out baby tooth. The developing permanent tooth sits directly above it and forcing the baby tooth back can damage it. Control the bleeding with gentle pressure and call us.
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A crown or filling came out. How urgent is it?
Keep the crown if you have it, because it can often be re-cemented. Cover the exposed tooth with over-the-counter temporary dental cement,…
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