Broken or knocked out tooth

A knocked-out tooth

If you knock out a tooth, you should:

find the tooth
hold it by the crown (the white bit that sticks out of the gum)
lick the tooth clean if it's dirty, or rinse it in water
put it back into position (adult teeth only); never try to re-insert a baby tooth (see below)
bite on a handkerchief to hold the tooth in place
go to see a dentist as an emergency

If you can't put the tooth back in position, put it in milk and see a dentist straight away.

The sooner a knocked-out tooth is re-implanted, the more likely it is to embed itself back into the gum.

If your child knocks out a baby tooth, you shouldn't try to re-implant it because you may damage the adult tooth growing underneath. Take your child to see a dentist immediately.

At the dentist

If you've put your tooth back in yourself, the dentist will check that it's in the correct position by having a look and taking an X-ray . They'll splint it to the teeth either side to hold it in position for two weeks.Splinting is a technique that temporarily attaches the tooth to keep it in place.

If you've put your tooth in milk and gone straight to the dentist, the dentist will numb the affected area and reposition the tooth. They'll check that its in the correct position by taking an X-ray beforesplinting it to the teeth either side for two weeks.