Broken, chipped or knocked-out tooth: act fast
Medically reviewed by Dr. Nainik Mehta, MDS (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery) · Last reviewed July 2026
- A knocked-out adult tooth can often be saved if it's back in the mouth within 60 minutes. The first 30 minutes give the tooth its strongest chance.
- Do this now: find the tooth, hold it only by the white crown, rinse briefly, put it back in the socket or into milk, and come immediately.
- Never scrub the tooth, hold it by the root, or store it dry in a tissue.
- Chipped without pain? Less urgent, but save the fragment and get it checked within a day or two.
Adult tooth knocked out? Do these 5 things now
Every minute counts. The living fibres on the tooth's root start dying once the tooth is out and dry, but act quickly and correctly, and the tooth can often be put back and reattach for good.
1. Find the tooth
Look on the ground, in clothing, in the mouth. Even if it's dirty, it may still be saveable, don't give up on it.
2. Hold it by the crown, never the root
The crown is the white part you normally see when smiling. The root is covered in living fibres the tooth needs to reattach, touching, wiping or scrubbing them kills them. Fingers on the crown only.
3. Rinse gently, do not scrub
If dirty, rinse the tooth for a few seconds under gently running water or in milk. No soap, no rubbing, no wrapping in tissue, a dry tooth is a dying tooth.
4. Put it back in the socket, or into milk
First choice: gently push the tooth back into its socket, facing the right way, and have the person bite softly on a clean cloth to hold it. Can't manage that? Drop it into a small container of milk (or, for an adult, hold it inside the cheek in saliva). Not water, plain water damages the root cells.
5. Come immediately, call while on the way
Head straight to the clinic and call so we're ready the moment you arrive: 📞 0184-407 3774. Within 30 minutes is the golden window; up to 60 minutes, saving the tooth is still often possible.
Note for parents: a knocked-out milk (baby) tooth should NOT be pushed back in, it can damage the adult tooth forming underneath. Still bring the child (and the tooth) in the same day so we can check for other injury.
Chipped or broken, but still in place?
- Save any broken fragment in milk, sometimes it can be bonded back on.
- Rinse the mouth with warm water; cold compress on the outside if the lip or cheek is swelling.
- Sharp edge cutting the tongue? A piece of sugar-free chewing gum or dental wax over the edge protects it until you're seen.
- No pain doesn't mean no problem, a crack can reach the nerve quietly. Have any broken tooth checked within a day or two; if the tooth hurts to bite or is sensitive to air, come sooner. Deep breaks are often saved with a root canal and crown when treated early.
When is it an emergency?
Come now, not tomorrow, if any of these apply:
- A whole adult tooth is out of the mouth (the 60-minute window)
- A tooth is visibly pushed out of position or loose after a blow
- Bleeding that doesn't stop after 10-15 minutes of firm pressure with a clean cloth
- Severe pain, or a blow hard enough that the jaw hurts to open or close, facial and jaw injuries are treated here by a maxillofacial surgeon, in-clinic
🚨 Go to the Emergency Care page
Related reading
Tooth injury? Don't wait and watch
Call first if a tooth is out, minutes matter. For chips and cracks, message us a photo and we'll tell you how urgent it is.
We reply within 15 minutes during clinic hours.