If you get a tooth knocked out, can it be put back in?!

If you get a tooth knocked out, can it be put back in?

I have a huge phobia about getting my teeth knocked out. A few days ago, I gently knocked my mouth against my boyfriend's head. There was no damage, or hardly any pain, but I had an urge to sit there with my hand over my mouth to protect my teeth. Anyway, my family got a sort of quick reference emergency sheet. This sheet said that if someone got a tooth knocked out, you should put the tooth in water or milk and get the victim to a dentist. My question is if someone gets a tooth knocked out, can it even be put back in? Isn't the root broken, or is it fixable?

If a tooth is knocked out and isn't broken in pieces, re-implantation can indeed be tried. You need to put the tooth in a cup of milk (which has a somewhat basic pH and favorable osmotic properties to help keep the tooth alive) and get to a dentist within 1 hour, before the living cells on the periodontal ligament and in the pulp die from lack of blood circulation.

The dentist will re-implant the tooth and immobilize it with a splint, and you will return every week for a follow up to see if the re-implanted tooth took.

It's a dice-throw though. Most of the time re-implantation does not work-- The root might undergo inflammatory resorption, the pulp might die, etc. But it's worth a try.

Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and all that.. If you play rough contact sports like football, basketball, hockey, etc., always wear a mouthguard.