Emergency dental treatments
Knocked-out tooth reimplantation: the first hour decides the outcome
An adult tooth that has been knocked clean out can be put back and can last for years, but the cells on its root start dying within minutes. Read the first section now, then call us.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Ibraheem Ijaz, Principal Dentist · GDC 301711 · Last reviewed April 2026
What to do before you reach us
Check it is an adult tooth.
Pick it up by the crown
If it is dirty, rinse briefly
Put it back in the socket now, if you can.
If you cannot replant it, keep it wet.
Come straight in.
Our knocked-out tooth symptom page repeats these steps in a form you can send to whoever is with the injured person.
Why the first hour matters so much
The root of a tooth is covered in a thin living layer, the periodontal ligament, which normally anchors it to the bone. Out of the mouth, those cells dry and die. Put the tooth back within about 15 minutes and most of them survive; the ligament reattaches and the tooth can behave almost normally for decades. Between 15 and 60 minutes, kept in milk, enough cells survive for a good outcome. After an hour dry, the cells are dead. The tooth can still be replanted and will look and feel normal for a while, but the body treats the dead root as foreign, slowly replaces it with bone, and the tooth is usually lost over the following years. It still buys time, which matters for a growing child whose jaw is not ready for an implant, but the expectation is different, and we say so.
How we put the tooth back
A quick look and X-ray.
Anaesthetic.
Preparing the socket and tooth.
Replanting.
Splinting.
Antibiotics and tetanus.
The whole visit takes 45 minutes to an hour. If a tooth cannot be found, has shattered, or the socket is destroyed, we clean the wound, close it and talk about replacement options when things have healed.
Fees for reimplantation and follow-up
Injuries rarely choose office hours, and we are open 8am to 8pm every day including most bank holidays. Fees are listed on the emergency fees page, and finance is available for the longer-term treatment.
| Treatment | Fee (from) |
|---|---|
| Emergency examination including X-rays | £30 |
| Replantation and flexible splint | Quoted in writing at the visit |
| Splint removal and review visits | Quoted with the splint fee |
| Root canal treatment of the replanted tooth, usually within two weeks | from £450 |
| Out-of-hours (after 6pm weekdays, weekends) | Additional charge |
Aftercare for a replanted tooth
The first 24 hours. Soft, cool food only, chewed at the back; nothing bitten with the front teeth. Take paracetamol or ibuprofen as directed on the packet. Do not smoke: it starves the healing ligament of blood and oxygen. Rinse gently with a chlorhexidine mouthwash twice a day starting that evening, but do not swish hard. Sleep with an extra pillow to limit swelling of the lip.
The first two weeks. Brush the splinted teeth after every meal with a soft brush; plaque around the splint inflames the gum and slows healing. Continue chlorhexidine for a week. No contact sport, and no biting on the tooth, until the splint is off. Call us if the splint loosens, if the tooth becomes very painful or starts to feel high in the bite, if the gum swells, or if the tooth darkens. Take the antibiotics as prescribed and finish the course.
Root canal and check-ups after reimplantation
A tooth that has been out of the mouth has lost its blood supply. In an adult tooth with a fully formed root, the nerve inside will not recover and will become infected if left, damaging the root from the inside. So root canal treatment is started within seven to fourteen days of replanting, usually before the splint comes off, and it is planned rather than an emergency. In a child whose tooth root is still growing, with an open tip, we wait and watch instead, because the blood supply can sometimes regrow through the open end.
The tooth is then reviewed with X-rays at four weeks, three months, six months, a year and yearly after that, looking for signs the root is being resorbed. A well-replanted tooth in a good socket, back in the mouth within the hour, can last many years. One replanted late usually needs replacing eventually, and the review programme tells us when. Our tooth trauma page covers the other injuries that often come with an avulsion.
Why some teeth cannot be replanted
We do not replant baby teeth. We do not replant a tooth into a socket that has been destroyed by the injury, or when the patient has other injuries that make the tooth a low priority, or when the tooth itself is badly decayed or fractured through the root. And where an adult tooth has been dry for many hours, we discuss honestly whether replanting is worthwhile: it usually is in a child or teenager, to hold the space and bone until they are old enough for an implant; in an adult it is a personal decision with a limited lifespan.
Questions, answered
Common questions
Can a knocked-out tooth be put back in?
Yes, if it is an adult tooth and it is replanted quickly, ideally within 15 minutes and certainly within an hour if kept in milk. Baby teeth are never replanted.
What should I keep a knocked-out tooth in?
Milk, or inside the cheek, or in saliva in a clean pot. Never water and never dry. Best of all is back in the socket straight away.
How long can a tooth be out before it cannot be saved?
The root cells die after around 60 minutes dry. In milk they survive longer. A tooth replanted after that can still be put back but will usually be lost over the following years as the root is replaced by bone.
Does replanting a tooth hurt?
Less than people fear. The socket is fresh and the tooth slides back with finger pressure. We numb the area for the splinting and any stitches.
Will the tooth need a root canal?
Almost always, in an adult tooth. The nerve loses its blood supply when the tooth comes out and must be removed within two weeks to stop it infecting the root. In children with growing roots we wait and monitor.
Do you replant baby teeth?
No. Replanting a baby tooth risks damaging the adult tooth forming underneath it. Keep the tooth, bring the child in so we can check for other injuries, and the space is managed until the adult tooth arrives.
How long will a replanted tooth last?
A tooth replanted within the first hour and root filled on time can last many years, sometimes a lifetime. One replanted after a long dry period usually lasts a few years and then needs replacing.
In pain? Don’t wait
Same-day emergency appointments, seven days a week.
£30 emergency examination including X-rays. Call now and a real person answers, or grab a slot online.
334 Manchester Road, Deepcar, Sheffield S36 2RH · Free parking