By Dr Hisham Abdul-Ghaffar, dentist, Clyde Dental Care
If an adult tooth gets knocked out, the first 30 minutes matter most. The sooner the tooth goes back in, the better its chance. If you remember only one thing, make it this: pick it up by the white part, put it back or keep it in milk, and call us on (03) 8908 3030.
When someone comes in with a knocked-out tooth, my aim is to save that tooth, not to talk about replacing it. Here is how you can give it the best chance.
Is it an adult tooth or a baby tooth?
The adult front teeth usually come through between about 6 and 8 years of age. If a child of 7 or older knocks out a front tooth, treat it as an adult tooth unless you know otherwise. Not sure? Keep it in milk or saline and call us.
Adult tooth: what to do straight away
- Find the tooth. Pick it up by the crown, the white part you chew with. Never hold it by the root.
- If it’s dirty, don’t wipe or scrub it, even if there’s gravel or dirt on it. Wiping the root damages the living cells that help it reattach. Rinse it briefly in milk, saline or the solution from a tooth-saving kit instead. No milk or saline? A quick rinse under a cold tap, no more than 10 seconds, is fine. If grit is still stuck to the root, leave it there: keep the tooth in milk or saline and come straight in, and we’ll clean it gently here.
- Put it back if you can. If the tooth is clean and the person is conscious, push the tooth gently back into its socket, the right way round, and have them bite on a clean cloth or handkerchief to hold it there.
- If you can’t put it back, keep it moist. If a tooth-saving kit is close by, use it. These kits, such as Save-A-Tooth, hold Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS), made to keep a knocked-out tooth alive, and some schools and sports clubs keep one in their first aid kit. Otherwise use milk, or saline (the sterile salt water in many first aid kits). For an adult who won’t swallow it, the tooth can also be held inside the mouth between the cheek and gum.
- Call us and come straight in on (03) 8908 3030.
What not to do
- Don’t hold the tooth by its root.
- Don’t wipe or scrub it, even if it’s dirty, and don’t clean it with soap or alcohol.
- Don’t store it in water (a quick rinse is fine), wrap it in a tissue or let it dry out in a pocket.
- Don’t wait to see whether it settles.
If it’s a baby tooth
Don’t put it back. Pushing a baby tooth back in can damage the adult tooth growing underneath. Press a clean cloth on any bleeding, keep your child comfortable and call us, so we can check the area and the teeth around it. More on how we look after children on our children’s dentistry page.
A chipped, broken or loosened tooth
- Find any broken piece and keep it in milk or saline. Bring it with you: it can sometimes be bonded back on.
- Rinse gently with warm salty water, hold a cold pack on the cheek if it’s swollen, and take the pain relief you would normally take, as the pack directs.
- If a tooth has been pushed loose or out of position, don’t try to force it back. Call us.
When to go to hospital first
If there is a head injury, loss of consciousness, a possible broken jaw, bleeding that won’t stop, or swelling that affects breathing or swallowing, go to the nearest hospital emergency department or call 000. The tooth can go with you in milk or saline.
If the tooth landed on soil or a dirty surface, ask your GP whether a tetanus booster is due.
Getting seen in Clyde North
We hold two emergency appointments every day, Sunday included, for anyone who needs one. You don’t need to be one of our patients already.
During opening hours, call (03) 8908 3030 and we’ll offer you the next appointment. Outside opening hours and on Sundays, call the same number: urgent calls come through to me, and I can see you by appointment.
We’re upstairs on Level 1 of Ramlegh Springs Town Centre, Shop L1-02B, 50 Ramlegh Boulevard, Clyde North (stairs or lift between Cellarbrations and Snap Fitness). Parking is free. More on our emergency dental care page.
What happens when you get here
I’ll check the tooth and the area around it and take an x-ray. If the tooth is back in, I usually hold it in place with a small, flexible splint bonded to the teeth beside it for a couple of weeks. A knocked-out adult tooth often needs root canal treatment afterwards, and we’ll see you again over the following months to check how it’s settling.
I’ll explain what I find and your options, and you’ll know the cost before anything is done. We claim from your health fund on the spot.
Protecting teeth in sport
Knocked-out teeth happen most often in sport, play and falls. For anyone playing contact sport, a custom-fitted mouthguard, made from a digital scan of their teeth, helps protect the teeth. Ask us at your next visit.
Save our number in your phone now: (03) 8908 3030. In the moment, you won’t want to be searching for it.