What to do when an adult tooth is knocked out
A knocked-out adult tooth is one of the few true emergencies in dentistry. The tooth has the best chance when it goes back into its socket within about 15 minutes. If that isn't possible, keeping it in milk and getting to a dentist quickly still gives it a good chance. These steps follow the 2020 guidelines of the International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT), which the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry endorses.
- Keep calm and find the tooth. Pick it up by the crown, the white part you chew with. Don't touch the root.
- If it's dirty, rinse it briefly in milk, saline or the person's own saliva. Don't scrub it, use soap, or dry it off.
- Put it back if you can. Push it gently into the socket the right way round. Then bite on a clean cloth, gauze or napkin to hold it in place.
- If you can't put it back, store it right away. Root cells start to dry out within minutes, so use whatever good liquid is closest (see the table below).
- Go to a dentist now and bring the tooth. The NHS asks for emergency care within 1 hour, or as soon as possible. The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) says to aim for within 30 minutes.
Where to keep a knocked-out tooth
The IADT ranks storage liquids in this order. All of them are far better than letting the tooth dry out.
| Rank | Storage | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milk | Easy to find and kind to the root cells |
| 2 | Tooth-saver kit (Hanks' Balanced Salt Solution, HBSS) | Made for this. Worth keeping in a sports bag or first-aid kit |
| 3 | Saliva | Spit into a small cup and put the tooth in it |
| 4 | Saline | Sterile salt solution |
| Last resort | Plain water | Poor for root cells, but better than air |
Don't wrap the tooth in a tissue or let it sit on a dry surface. The older advice to rinse the tooth under running water was dropped in the 2020 guidelines. The AAE also says not to keep the tooth in tap water, because the root cells can't tolerate it for long.
How much time do you have?
The clock that matters most is dry time: the minutes the tooth spends outside the mouth without a storage liquid. The IADT uses these markers:
| Dry time | What it means |
|---|---|
| Up to about 15 minutes | Root cells are most likely still alive. This is the best chance |
| About 30 minutes | Most root cells are no longer alive if the tooth stayed dry |
| Over 60 minutes | The tooth is likely to have lost its living root cells, whatever it was stored in afterward |
Time in milk or another good liquid counts much less than time spent dry. That's why the timer above has a button for when the tooth is back in place or in milk: the dry-time count stops there. Even after an hour, see a dentist. The AAE notes a tooth can sometimes be saved after an hour or more, and the IADT says putting it back is almost always the right decision even then, because it keeps future options open.
Baby teeth are different
Never put a knocked-out baby tooth back. Doing so can damage the adult tooth developing underneath (NHS, IADT). Instead:
- Keep the tooth to show the dentist. It can go in milk.
- Press a clean, damp gauze pad on the gum if it's bleeding.
- Call your child's dentist and ask to be seen the same day. UK guidance treats this as urgent, mainly to check for other injuries.
- Offer soft food. Use children's pain relief only as the label directs. Children under 16 should not take aspirin (NHS).
Not sure whether it's a baby tooth? Children usually start losing baby teeth at about 6 and lose the last ones by about 12 (ADA). Adult front teeth usually come in between ages 6 and 9, and the Tooth Eruption Chart shows which teeth a child usually has at any age. If you can't tell, don't put it back. Keep it in milk and let a dentist decide.
What the dentist will do
According to the IADT guidelines, the dentist will usually:
- Check the tooth's position with an X-ray, and put it back if it isn't already in place
- Hold it steady with a thin, flexible splint bonded to the teeth next to it, usually for about 2 weeks
- Start root canal treatment within about 2 weeks if the root is fully grown (young teeth with growing roots are watched instead)
- Consider antibiotics, and check that tetanus protection is up to date
At home, you'll usually be asked to eat soft food for up to 2 weeks, brush with a soft toothbrush after meals, use a chlorhexidine 0.12% mouthwash twice a day for 2 weeks, and avoid contact sports while it heals. Expect several follow-up checks: the IADT advises yearly checks for at least five years.
Prevent it: wear a mouthguard
Mouthguards help reduce the risk of broken teeth and injuries to the lips, tongue, face and jaw. The ADA recommends them for contact and collision sports, and notes that injuries also happen in non-contact activities such as gymnastics and skating. If you wear braces, ask your dentist or orthodontist which type to use.
How this tool works
- Baby or adult first. The tool asks which kind of tooth it is, because the advice is opposite. The age helper uses the ADA eruption charts: under 6 is almost always a baby tooth, 13 and older almost always an adult tooth, and 6 to 12 could be either.
- Steps from the IADT 2020 guidelines, written in our own words, checked against NHS and AAE advice.
- The timer counts total time and dry time. Its message changes at 15, 30 and 60 minutes of dry time, the markers the IADT uses. If it happened a while ago, pick when before you press Start.
- Works offline. Once the page has loaded, the tool makes no network requests. It asks your phone to keep the screen on while the timer runs (some browsers don't allow this). The timer is kept only in this browser tab, so reloading the page won't lose it.
This tool gives first-aid guidance. It can't tell whether a tooth will survive, and only a dentist can treat it. If a tooth is chipped, cracked or loose rather than knocked out, the Dental Emergency Checker shows how soon to be seen.
Frequently asked questions
Can a knocked-out tooth be saved?
Should I put a knocked-out tooth in milk or water?
Can you put a baby tooth back in?
How long can a tooth be out of the mouth?
Should I rinse a knocked-out tooth?
Sources
- Fouad AF, Abbott PV, Tsilingaridis G, et al. Dental Traumatology 2020;36(4):331-342. International Association of Dental Traumatology guidelines for the management of traumatic dental injuries: 2. Avulsion of permanent teeth. 2020. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. International Association of Dental Traumatology Guidelines for the Management of Traumatic Dental Injuries: 2. Avulsion of Permanent Teeth (endorsed reprint). 2020. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- NHS. Knocked-out tooth. reviewed February 6, 2025. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- American Association of Endodontists. Knocked Out Teeth. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- NHS. How to find an emergency or urgent NHS dentist appointment. reviewed May 14, 2025. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP). Management of Acute Dental Problems: Quick Reference Guide for healthcare professionals. 2013. Paraphrased; flowcharts not reproduced. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- American Dental Association (MouthHealthy). Dental Emergency - What if I break a Tooth. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- American Dental Association (MouthHealthy). Mouthguards. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- American Dental Association (MouthHealthy). Primary Tooth Development (eruption chart). 2012. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- American Dental Association (MouthHealthy). Permanent Tooth Development (eruption chart). 2012. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- NHS. Toothache. reviewed July 1, 2024. Accessed October 26, 2026.
Last reviewed by the Dental Health Time editorial team, against the sources above. How we review.