Knocked Out Your Tooth? Take These Steps Immediately

March 16, 2025

Losing baby teeth happens to everyone. But, when it happens to a permanent or "adult" tooth, you have a dental emergency on your hands.


Teeth are strong, and they’re anchored securely in your jaw. Even so, approximately five million teeth in kids and adults are knocked out every year. Speaking of children and adults, they have a nearly equal risk of this issue because it often happens in accidents that affect anyone, such as sports accidents, falling off bikes, and car accidents. 


Thankfully, our experienced dentists at Greenwich Dentistry, located in Cos Cob, Connecticut, can help save your tooth — but only if you preserve it properly and get to our office quickly enough after the accident. 


If you knock a tooth out, here’s how to give yourself the best chances of saving it.

Don’t panic

Any incident that can knock out a tooth may leave you a little shocked, but it’s essential that you stay calm. 


If you can find and preserve your tooth, our dentists can potentially repair it and reimplant it in your jaw. If you call our office right away and let us know what happened, we can offer instructions to guide you, and then provide emergency dental services to treat your broken or knocked-out teeth. 


However, for the best results, you have to act very quickly. If you stay calm and handle the tooth correctly, you have about 60 minutes before your tooth’s chances of survival begin to drop dramatically.

Take care of your tooth

That might seem obvious, but the first thing to do is find the knocked-out or broken piece of tooth. Once you find it, only touch it by the crown — that’s the visible, top portion of the tooth you can see when it’s in your mouth. If you handle the root that normally extends into your jaw, you can damage the tooth, reducing your chances of saving it. 


After you find the tooth, rinse it with bottled water or milk, but don’t scrape, scrub, or use alcohol on it.


Finally, it’s crucial to keep the tooth moist. If you can, place the tooth back into its socket after rinsing your mouth out. You can also place it in a small container of milk or a special tooth preservation kit like “Save-A-Tooth.” Do not put a knocked-out tooth in tap water — exposing the tooth to the chemicals in the water can damage it.


Once you clean and safely store your tooth, head straight to our office.

Get to our office quickly

If you want to save your tooth, See one of our dentists as soon as possible. The sooner we can assess the situation and take action, the better the chances we can save your tooth. 


After we replant or repair your tooth, you’ll come back for a follow-up visit to make sure everything is still going well. That allows us to check that your tooth has reattached to your jaw and determine whether you require any additional care. For instance, a tooth that has been reimplanted after being knocked out is more susceptible to decay, so some people might need a root canal in the future.


And, rest assured that if we can’t save your tooth, you won’t have to live with a gap in your smile. We also offer several solutions to replace missing teeth, including bridges and dental implants.


If you knock out a tooth or have another dental emergency, don’t wait to contact our dental team. Call Greenwich Dentistry right away, and we’ll take great care of you.

5 Smile Flaws Easily Remedied by Veneers : Greenwich Dentistry
March 17, 2025
Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you. If you have teeth that are discolored, gapped, or not properly aligned, you may be more likely to hide your smile.
Is InvisalignⓇ a Good Teeth Straightening Option For Me? : Greenwich Dentistry
March 17, 2025
Everyone wants a dazzling, white smile of perfectly straight teeth, but not everyone wants to be bothered with braces. For all of their benefits, braces can be uncomfortable, and make you feel self-conscious while you’re wearing them. Your best option might be traditional braces if your dentist decides that you need them, or if your braces are the first step in a larger and longer treatment plan. Most people, however, can correct their alignment and their bite by using InvisalignⓇ.
What To Look For When Choosing Your Family Dentist : Greenwich Dentistry
March 17, 2025
Every family is different, but every family needs to prioritize quality dental care. The best dental care for you is a practice with all of the requisites for general dentistry, plus any additional certifications that a dentist may have. Some dental practices, for example, may offer services that are focused on cosmetic dentistry, and others focus on invasive oral procedures.
Why Crowns Are an Effective Solution To Restore Damaged Teeth : Greenwich Dentistry
March 17, 2025
Not all crowns are worn on your head - there’s a crown that goes in your mouth. If you’ve had an accident that resulted in a damaged tooth, or if you’re experiencing tooth decay, a dental crown could be the solution for you. Dental crowns are a solution that protects your natural teeth and helps you to eat, drink, and speak normally.
Help! My Teeth are Yellow : Greenwich Dentistry
March 17, 2025
Perfect smiles fill the pages of magazines and the pages of social media, earning admiration from people all over. Perfect teeth aren’t a guarantee for anyone, but you can give your smile an excellent boost with our Zoom teeth whitening system, crowns, or veneers. With so many options, it might be hard to choose what’s best, but that’s where our experts come in.
Dental Veneers Can Correct Countless Smile Flaws : Greenwich Dentistry
March 17, 2025
Have you always wanted a gorgeous smile that lights up a room? Dental veneers can transform your smile and boost your self-confidence by correcting several cosmetic issues, including crooked or discolored teeth. Veneers also can fill in gaps and protect your teeth from decay or infection.
Is an Implant Better Than a Bridge? : Greenwich Dentistry
March 17, 2025
When you lose one or more teeth due to an accident or an extraction, your first order of business is to replace them as soon as possible. The health of your jaw, your other teeth, and the function of your bite, all depend on a full set of teeth, helping to keep one another in perfect alignment.
Top Dental Technology and How It Helps Optimize Your Dental Health : Greenwich Dentistry
March 17, 2025
Your teeth are far more than the things you use to smile and chew food. Without your teeth, you can’t speak as clearly, and your mouth takes on a different shape, which directly affects how people interact with you.
Understanding the Stages of Gum Disease : Greenwich Dentistry
March 17, 2025
You’ve heard of gum disease, and you may have even heard the terms gingivitis and periodontitis. But do you really know what they all mean? Unfortunately, ignoring a visit to the dentist is exactly the wrong move!
Are You Making These Common Brushing Mistakes? : Greenwich Dentistry
March 17, 2025
It’s not enough to brush for the prescribed number of minutes per day. You have to brush properly, with an eye to getting all particles of food out of your mouth, for brushing to have the desired effect.
Show More