Knocked-out Tooth

If one of I your teeth is knocked out of its socket but not broken, it's often possible for your dentist or doctor to reimplant it if you act quickly.

A healthy tooth root is held in its socket by ligament tissue. Some of this tissue remains on the root of a tooth that has been knocked out. Keeping the ligament tissue intact until the tooth can be put back into its socket is critical for a successful reimplantation.

If you have a tooth that's knocked out:

• Don't touch the root. Touching it can damage the ligament.

• Remove any dirt by rinsing the tooth in a bowl or glass of clean water-not by rubbing or scraping the tooth.

• Try to replace the tooth in its •socket and bite down gently on gauze or a moistened tea bag to keep it in place. If you can't replace it, put the tooth in milk, in your own saliva, in warm salt water, or between your cheek and gum.

• Immediately see your dentist or go to emergency room, where your tooth may be able to be stabilized. Successful reimplantation is more likely if the tooth is in its socket within about 30 minutes.

Even with a successfully reimplanted tooth, tissue inside the tooth (pulp) eventually dies. You'll need a root canal treatment to keep the tooth functioning properly.