Let’s say you fell or hit something. Imagine that your tooth was completely knocked out and is lying in front of you in the dust and dirt!... At the same time, your lip may also be injured. You quickly pick up the tooth randomly, wrap it in a tissue, and go to a healthcare facility. Your lip is stitched and your vaccinations are checked. Then you go to a dentist. At least 1 hour has passed. Unfortunately, by this point your tooth may no longer be salvageable because all the living cells on the tooth have died. This is especially unfortunate because, while rapid intervention is possible in adults, the situation cannot always be immediately compensated for in children, and a series of difficult treatments may be required once they reach an appropriate age.

What Should You Do?

  • First, stay calm.
  • Hold the tooth without touching the root surface and rinse it with plenty of water. If it will not cause any delay, preferably use drinking water, as tap water may contain high levels of chlorine that can damage the living cells on the root surface.

If you can reach a dentist within 20 minutes and you do not have another trauma-related medical priority, place the tooth in milk. If this is not possible, place it in water. If neither is available, keep it under your tongue and go to a dentist without wasting any time. After the procedure, your dentist will refer you to a hospital for a tetanus vaccination if necessary.

If you cannot reach a dentist immediately:

  • Take a deep breath.
  • Gently place the tooth back into its socket, applying only as much pressure as necessary. Correct positioning is important! Your dentist will not change the position of the tooth afterwards. (At this point, I would like to remind you to do this only if you have cleaned the tooth with clean water without touching the root and have not used cologne or any chemical substances.)
  • You should go to a healthcare facility for antibiotic treatment and, if your tetanus vaccination is not effective, you should be vaccinated. Everything you have done will delay your arrival at the hospital by only a few minutes.
  • You now need to see a dentist. The tooth must be stabilized by attaching it to the neighboring teeth so that the injured area remains immobile.
  • After sufficient healing, approximately 2–3 weeks later, the connection with the neighboring teeth is removed and root canal treatment should be performed on the tooth.

I hope you never need to use this information.