What to Do If a Tooth Gets Knocked Out (First 10 Minutes)

By Lovik Mirzaeian, DDS. Updated September 2026.

If a tooth gets knocked out, pick it up by the crown, never the root, rinse it briefly with milk if it is dirty, and put it straight back into the socket. If you cannot, drop it in a cup of milk and get to a dentist within the hour. Those first sixty minutes decide whether the tooth can be saved.

Most people lose the tooth not because of the accident but because of what happens in the next ten minutes. Here is exactly what to do, in order.

The First Ten Minutes, Step by Step

1. Find the Tooth and Pick It Up by the Crown

The crown is the white part you normally see. The root is the pointed end that was in the gum, and it is covered in living cells that a dentist needs intact to reattach it. Touching the root crushes those cells. Pinch the crown between finger and thumb and leave the root alone.

2. Rinse Only If It Is Dirty, and Only Briefly

If the tooth landed in gravel, rinse it for a few seconds in milk, saline, or the patient own saliva. Not tap water, and not for long. Water damages the root cells through osmosis, and scrubbing removes them entirely. If the tooth looks clean, skip this step.

3. Put It Back in the Socket

This is the single best thing you can do. Line it up the way it came out, push it gently but firmly into place until it sits level with the neighbouring teeth, then bite down softly on a clean cloth or a piece of gauze to hold it there. It will feel wrong. Do it anyway.

4. If You Cannot Reimplant It, Use Milk

Milk is the best storage you are likely to have at home. Its salt balance and sugars keep root cells alive far longer than water does. Saliva is the next best, so tucking the tooth inside the cheek works for an older child or adult who will not swallow it. A sealed bag of the patient own spit works too. Never store a tooth dry, and never in tap water.

5. Control the Bleeding and Go

Bite on gauze or a clean cloth for ten minutes to slow the bleeding. Cold on the outside of the lip helps swelling. Then get moving. Call ahead on the way so the practice is ready when you arrive.

Why the Hour Matters So Much

The surface of a tooth root is covered in a thin layer of living cells called the periodontal ligament. Those cells are what knit the tooth back into the bone. Out of the mouth and out of moisture, they start dying within minutes.

Inside thirty minutes the odds are good. At an hour they fall off steeply. After a few hours reattachment usually fails, even if the tooth looks perfectly fine. Nothing about how the tooth looks tells you whether those cells are alive, which is why the clock matters more than the appearance.

What Not to Do

Do not scrub the root or wipe it on your shirt. Do not store the tooth in tap water. Do not let it dry out on a counter while you find a phone. Do not use disinfectant or alcohol on it. Do not wait until morning because it stopped hurting, and do not skip the visit because you managed to push it back in yourself. A replanted tooth still needs splinting and follow up, and the nerve almost always needs treating later.

Other Dental Emergencies Worth Knowing

A tooth pushed loose or shoved out of position but still attached should be gently eased back into line and held there. A chipped tooth is rarely urgent unless the inner pink pulp is showing, though it is worth keeping the fragment. A tooth that is throbbing with facial swelling is an infection and needs seeing quickly, swelling that reaches the eye or the throat is an emergency room visit rather than a dental one.

Our emergency dentist FAQ covers the rest, and the emergency dentist page explains how to reach us when something happens outside normal hours.

If the Tooth Cannot Be Saved

Sometimes the tooth is too damaged or too much time has passed. That is not the end of it. A dental implant replaces the root as well as the crown and keeps the jawbone stimulated, which matters more than most people realise. The socket needs to heal first, so the sooner you are seen the sooner that clock starts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can a knocked out tooth survive outside the mouth?

About an hour, and the first fifteen minutes matter most. Kept in milk or saliva the cells on the root stay alive far longer than in water or in a dry tissue. Past sixty minutes the odds of the tooth reattaching drop sharply, which is why the trip to the dentist should start immediately.

Should I put a knocked out tooth back in myself?

If it is an adult tooth and it is clean, yes. Hold it by the crown, rinse it gently with milk or saline for no more than ten seconds, slot it back into the socket the right way round and bite softly on a cloth. A tooth back in its socket has the best possible chance. If you cannot manage it, store it in milk instead.

What if a baby tooth gets knocked out?

Do not put it back. Replanting a baby tooth can damage the adult tooth developing above it. Control the bleeding with gentle pressure, keep the child calm, and call the dentist the same day so we can check the socket and the surrounding teeth.

Can a knocked out tooth be saved after a day?

Rarely, and not by reattachment. After several hours the root surface cells have died and the tooth will not take. At that point the conversation moves to replacing it, and an implant or a bridge is usually the answer. Bring the tooth anyway, it helps us plan.

Knocked Out a Tooth? Call Us Now

If this has just happened, stop reading and call. Put the tooth back in the socket or in milk and contact us on your way. If you are reading this ahead of time, the useful thing is knowing the milk trick, because almost nobody does.

Lovik Mirzaeian, DDS has achieved extensive training in multidisciplinary dental treatments. His credentials include Dental Implants, Cosmetic Dentistry, Full Mouth Reconstruction, Endodontics, Oral Surgery, Orthodontics, and Sleep Sedation. Our office puts your comfort and smile first, and we are dedicated to giving you top-notch dental care. Get ready to show off your perfect smile!

Looking for a trusted family dentist in Clovis? Dr. Mirzaeian welcomes new patients of all ages.