Why You Must Store a Knocked-out Tooth in Milk or Saltwater
Posted on 4/1/2025 by Front Office
Have you ever had the misfortune of knocking out a tooth? It can be a scary experience, but it's important to stay calm and act quickly. In many cases, a knocked-out tooth can be replanted, especially if you take the right steps to preserve it.
The key to saving a knocked-out tooth is to keep its cells alive. When a tooth is knocked out, it is deprived of its blood supply. This means that the cells in the tooth start to die within minutes. However, if the tooth is stored in a moist environment, these cells can stay alive for up to 2 hours.
The best way to store a knocked-out tooth is in milk or saltwater. Milk is isotonic, meaning it has the same osmotic pressure as your body fluids. This helps to prevent the cells in the tooth from dehydrating. Saltwater also helps to preserve the cells, but it should be a weak solution (about 1 teaspoon of salt to 8 ounces of water).
Here's what you should do if you knock out a tooth:
1~
Find the tooth. The first step is to find the tooth. If it's not in your mouth, look around the area where you were injured.
2~
Pick up the tooth by the crown, not the root. The root of the tooth is the part that was embedded in your jawbone. It's important to avoid touching the root, as this can damage the cells.
3~
Rinse the tooth gently with water or milk. Don't scrub the tooth or try to remove any debris that's stuck to it.
4~
Store the tooth in milk or saltwater. Place the tooth in a small container of milk or saltwater. If you don't have milk or saltwater, you can store the tooth in your mouth, between your cheek and gums.
5~
Get to a dentist as soon as possible. Time is of the essence when it comes to saving a knocked-out tooth. The sooner you see a dentist, the better the chances of successfully replanting the tooth.
Knocked-out teeth are a dental emergency, so it's important to see a dentist right away. If you act quickly and follow the steps above, you may be able to save your tooth and avoid the need for more extensive restorative dentistry in the future.
Have you ever had the misfortune of knocking out a tooth? It can be a scary experience, but it's important to stay calm and act quickly. In many cases, a knocked-out tooth can be replanted, especially if you take the right steps to preserve it.