Emergency dental care · Orlando

Knocked-Out Tooth — What To Do Right Now

This is the one true race against the clock in dentistry. Read the five steps, then call us on the way.

Open now — a person answers, day or night.

What to do right now

Pick it up by the crown — never the root. The root surface carries the living cells that let the tooth reattach.

Do not scrub it. If it is dirty, rinse for a few seconds in milk or saline. Never scrub, and never use soap.

Put it back in the socket if you can. Push gently until it is level with the neighboring teeth and bite on a clean cloth to hold it.

If you cannot re-seat it, store it in milk. Not water — water kills the root cells quickly. Saliva (held in the cheek, if there is no risk of swallowing it) is the next best thing.

Come now. Best results come from re-implanting within 30 minutes. After about an hour dry, the odds fall sharply.

Independent guidance: American Association of Endodontists — knocked-out teeth.

What we do at the office

At the office we clean the socket, re-seat the tooth in its correct position and splint it to the neighboring teeth so it cannot move while the ligament reattaches. We X-ray to confirm the position and to check the socket and surrounding teeth for fractures.

The splint usually stays on for one to two weeks. Most re-implanted teeth also need a root canal afterwards, because the nerve rarely survives the injury — but the tooth itself is saved, which is what matters.

A knocked-out baby tooth is different: do not put it back. Re-implanting a baby tooth can damage the permanent tooth developing above it. Bring your child in, but leave the tooth out — see children’s dental emergencies.

Go to a hospital emergency room first if you have swelling closing an eye or spreading into your neck, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or a fever alongside facial swelling. That is a medical emergency before it is a dental one.

How fast can you see me?

Most patients are seen within the hour of calling, including overnight, at weekends and on public holidays. Call (407) 903-0320 first even if you intend to walk in — we can prepare the room, quote the cost and tell you what to do while you travel.

CALL NOW · (407) 903-0320

Questions

How long do I actually have?

Within 30 minutes is the goal. Between 30 and 60 minutes the chances drop but are still real. After an hour dry, re-attachment is unlikely — but come anyway, because the socket and the neighboring teeth still need treating.

What if the tooth is broken as well as knocked out?

Bring every fragment you can find, in milk. Some can be bonded back on, and either way we need to know whether a piece is missing rather than lodged in the lip or gum.

The tooth is loose but not out. Same thing?

Similar urgency. Do not wiggle it, eat soft food and call us now — a loosened tooth often needs splinting too.

Other emergencies we treat

Severe ToothacheGet help →Emergency Tooth ExtractionGet help →Broken or Chipped ToothGet help →Abscess / SwellingGet help →Emergency Root CanalGet help →Lost Filling or CrownGet help →

Find us on International Drive

24 Hour Dentist 7259 International Drive, Suite Y
Orlando, FL 32819

Open 24 hours · 7 days a week

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Second floor, at the corner of International Dr and Carrier Dr — directly across from the Titanic show.

Free parking in front of the building.