{"id":3613,"date":"2026-07-29T20:33:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T00:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bestdentalteam.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/29\/what-to-do-if-you-knock-out-a-tooth\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T20:33:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T00:33:01","slug":"what-to-do-if-you-knock-out-a-tooth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bestdentalteam.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/29\/what-to-do-if-you-knock-out-a-tooth\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do If You Knock Out a Tooth"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Man<\/a><\/figure><\/div>

Many people hope their baby teeth are the last ones that come out. However, you may knock out an adult tooth due to a blow to your face. This scenario can leave you shaken up, but you need to act fast during this dental emergency<\/a>. You will need to see your dentist within the hour to have the best chance of saving the tooth. Here’s a guide you should follow while you head to your dentist.<\/p>

Step #1: Locate Your Tooth<\/h2>

Take a deep breath and try to calm down. With a level head, find your tooth and only pick it up by the crown. This is the part you chew with, but there are cells on the roots that can aid with reattachment.<\/p>

Step #2: Clean The Tooth<\/h2>

There may be some debris on the tooth, so you will need to clean it off in a still bowl of milk, your saliva, or sterile saline. If you only have water, you can use that, but don’t submerge the structure for too long. The tissues on the root can absorb it and swell, or there may be chemicals, like chlorine, in it.<\/p>

Step #3: Place the Tooth into Its Socket or Milk<\/h2>

Take a moment and assess the condition of the tooth. If it’s still in great shape and there’s no damage, you can try to put it back into its socket yourself. Position it into place and gently bite down on a clean washcloth or paper towels. This may be uncomfortable for some, so you can keep it in a container of milk or your saliva instead. Tucking it between your cheek and gums is another option; be careful not to swallow it.<\/p>

Just be sure you don’t let the tooth dry out or wrap it in a cloth.<\/p>

Step #4: Visit Your Emergency Dentist<\/h2>

You will need to see your dentist within an hour to give your tooth the best chance at reattachment. So, don’t delay in heading their way. Once there, your provider will look at your mouth and relieve any pain you’re in. If saving the structure is possible, then a splint will be used to hold it in place while the tissues grow around it again.<\/p>

That said, there’s a chance salvaging the tooth isn’t possible. If so, then you may have to look at different replacement options<\/a>. Regardless, your dentist is here to help you and get you back your confident smile.<\/p>

About the Practice<\/h2>

Dental emergencies are never fun, so our team at Orange Place Family Dentistry<\/a> is here to help you handle them. Led by Dr. Jed Koops<\/a> and Dr. Thanh Mollica<\/a>, we can see patients the same day if they need urgent care. Using state-of-the-art technology, we can pinpoint the problem and give you an effective solution. If you knocked out a tooth, the fastest way to schedule an appointment<\/a> is by calling our office at 216-464-2448<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Many people hope their baby teeth are the last ones that come out. However, you may knock out an adult tooth due to a blow to your face. This scenario can leave you shaken up, but you need to act fast during this dental emergency. You will need to see your dentist within the hour to have the best chance of saving the tooth. Here\u2019s a guide you should follow while you head to your dentist. (Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestdentalteam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestdentalteam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestdentalteam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestdentalteam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestdentalteam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3613"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestdentalteam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3613\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestdentalteam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestdentalteam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestdentalteam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}