If a permanent tooth has just been knocked out, call (434) 977-4101 now. A knocked-out tooth has the best chance of being saved when it is back in place within 30 to 60 minutes. Willis & Associates Family Dentistry Ivy offers same-day emergency appointments, and calling immediately lets us prepare for your arrival while you follow the steps below.
What to Do Right Now: Step by Step
- 1. Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown. The crown is the white chewing part. Do not touch the root — the delicate ligament cells clinging to it are what allow the tooth to reattach.
- 2. Rinse it gently, briefly. If the tooth is dirty, hold it by the crown and rinse it for a few seconds under cool water or milk. No soap, no scrubbing, no wiping it dry — even with a clean cloth. Those root-surface cells must stay intact and moist.
- 3. Try to place it back in the socket. This is the single best thing you can do. Orient it the right way, ease it in with gentle pressure, and hold it steady by biting softly on a piece of gauze or a clean cloth. It should sit level with the neighboring teeth.
- 4. If you cannot reinsert it, keep it moist. Drop the tooth into a small container of cold milk. If milk is unavailable, saliva works — tuck the tooth inside your cheek if you can do so safely, or spit into a cup and submerge it. Do not store the tooth in plain water and never let it dry out.
- 5. Get to the office fast. Aim to be in our chair within 30 to 60 minutes. We are at 2216 Ivy Rd #205, Charlottesville, VA 22903 — on Route 250 about 8 minutes west of UVA Grounds.
One important exception: never reinsert a baby tooth. Forcing a primary tooth back into the socket can damage the permanent tooth developing underneath. Keep the tooth, comfort your child, and call us right away.
What We Do When You Arrive
Once you are here, we gently clean the area, confirm the tooth and socket are free of debris, and reposition the tooth if you were not able to. We then stabilize it with a small flexible splint bonded to the neighboring teeth, which holds it steady while the ligament reattaches over the following weeks. Imaging helps us check for root or bone fractures that are not visible to the eye.
Because the nerve inside a replanted tooth often does not survive the trauma, many patients later need root canal therapy to keep the tooth healthy for the long term. We monitor the tooth at follow-up visits and step in at the right moment — this is routine, not a sign the replantation failed.
If the Tooth Cannot Be Saved
Sometimes a tooth is lost, shattered, or out of the mouth too long to replant. That is disappointing, but it is not the end of your smile. A dental implant can replace the tooth with a result that looks and functions naturally, and we will walk you through every option before deciding anything.
Related Emergencies
Dental trauma rarely reads the textbook. If the tooth cracked rather than came out whole, see our broken tooth repair page. If an injured tooth is aching but still in place, start with toothache treatment. And when a tooth is too damaged to keep, emergency extractions explains what to expect. Our main emergency dental care page covers everything we treat on a same-day basis, and our blog guide What You Should Do in a Dental Emergency is worth bookmarking before you ever need it.
Keep Our Number Handy
Willis & Associates Family Dentistry Ivy has been doctor-owned, with over 30 years of trusted service to Charlottesville-area families. Office hours are Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–5:00 PM. If a tooth gets knocked out — on the soccer field, on the trampoline, or anywhere else — call (434) 977-4101 immediately, or book online for non-urgent follow-up care.