What should you do if a tooth is avulsed?

Re-implanting an avulsed tooth promptly is crucial for the best chances of saving the tooth. When a tooth is knocked out, the periodontal ligament cells on the root of the tooth begin to die very quickly, so time is of the essence. If re-implantation can be done within 30 minutes to an hour of the avulsion, there is a significantly higher chance of the tooth surviving and being retained in the mouth.

While it is important to handle the tooth carefully and by its crown (the part you would normally see in the mouth), rinsing it gently with saline or water, and trying to reinsert it into the socket if possible, provides a straight path to increasing the likelihood of the tooth's success.

Other methods of preserving an avulsed tooth, such as storing it in milk, which can help keep the tooth viable for a little longer, are valid but are secondary to the immediate goal of re-implantation. Keeping the tooth in sugar or a warm place would be detrimental to the health of the tooth as it can lead to cellular death. Favorable conditions for the tooth to remain alive during transport would not include those methods.