What to do when you break a tooth
A broken tooth is fixable, and what you do in the first hour matters more than most people realise. Here are the steps in order, and what the repair usually involves.
Teeth are strong. They are also brittle, which is a different thing, and it is why a tooth that has chewed through decades of food can be taken off by one bad landing on a footpath.
If it has just happened, here is the short version. Call a dentist today. If a whole tooth has come out, put it in milk and go now.
The longer version is below.
First, do not decide it is fine because it does not hurt
This is the most common mistake, and it is an understandable one.
A break can reach well into the tooth without causing pain straight away. Sometimes the first sign is nothing more than a sharp edge you find with your tongue. That edge then cuts the tongue and cheek, and the crack quietly spreads every time you bite.
The repair is small and cheap in week one. It is neither of those things in month six. Get it looked at even if it is comfortable.
If you do have sharp pain, or pain with hot and cold, the break has probably reached the nerve. That is an urgent appointment rather than a routine one.
If the whole tooth has come out
This is the one situation where minutes genuinely matter.
- Pick it up by the crown, the chewing part. Never touch the root.
- If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or saline. Not water, and never scrub it. The delicate cells on the root surface are what allow it to reattach, and scrubbing wipes them off.
- If you can, put it straight back in the socket the right way round and bite gently on a clean cloth to hold it.
- If you cannot manage that, keep it in a small container of milk. Milk is the everyday liquid that keeps those cells alive longest.
- Go now. Not tomorrow.
There is a fuller step-by-step here: knocked-out tooth.
Stop the bleeding
Fold clean gauze over the area and apply firm, steady pressure for ten minutes. Steady is the important word. Lifting it every thirty seconds to check restarts the clock each time.
Rinsing with cold water can help. So can a damp black tea bag held against the spot, which is an old remedy that works because tea contains tannins.
Clean the area gently
Warm salty water, swilled gently, once the bleeding has settled. A teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water is about right.
Rinse again after anything you eat or drink, because trapped food around exposed tooth or gum causes trouble quickly.
Manage the pain sensibly
A cold compress against the outside of the cheek, wrapped in a cloth so it is not directly on skin, in twenty-minute stretches.
Over-the-counter pain relief, taken exactly as directed on the packet. One warning worth repeating: do not hold a painkiller tablet against the gum next to the sore tooth. It does not work that way and it burns the soft tissue, so you arrive with a chemical ulcer on top of a broken tooth.
Stay off that side when you eat, and avoid anything very hot, very cold or very hard until you are seen.
What the repair usually involves
Which fix suits depends entirely on how deep the break goes.
| Break | Usual repair |
|---|---|
| Small chip in the enamel | Smoothing, or bonding with tooth-coloured resin |
| Larger piece, tooth still sound | A filling, inlay or crown |
| Break reaching the nerve | Root canal treatment, then a crown to protect it |
| Tooth broken below the gum, beyond saving | Removal, then a bridge, denture or implant |
Two things worth knowing about that table.
The first is that removal sits at the bottom for a reason. Most broken teeth are repairable, and taking one out is the last option, not the first.
The second is that where a crown is involved, our own lab makes it. Luminous Dental Ceramics is at our Southport clinic, with more than 55 years of combined experience on the bench, which is why a repaired front tooth can be matched to the ones either side of it rather than to a shade code posted interstate.
Do not wait it out
The instinct after a break, especially a painless one, is to see how it goes.
What it does is get worse, slowly and cheaply at first, then suddenly and expensively. A crack that could have been bonded becomes a crack that needs a crown, and a crack that needs a crown becomes an infection.
If you have broken a tooth, call 1800 833 844. We keep emergency room at all six clinics, and you can read what an urgent visit involves on our emergency dentistry page.
Emergency dentistry FAQ
My tooth is chipped but it does not hurt. Do I still need to be seen?
Yes, and reasonably soon. Pain is a poor guide, because a break can reach the inner part of the tooth without hurting at first. A sharp edge also cuts the tongue and cheek, and an untreated crack tends to spread. It is a much smaller job at week one than at month six.
What do I do with a tooth that has been knocked right out?
Pick it up by the crown, never the root. If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or saline, not water, and do not scrub it. If you can, place it back in the socket and bite gently on a clean cloth. If you cannot, keep it in a container of milk and get to a dentist immediately. This is one of the few genuine dental emergencies where minutes matter.
How do I manage the pain until my appointment?
A cold compress against the cheek, wrapped so it is not directly on the skin, and over-the-counter pain relief taken as directed on the packet. Do not hold a tablet against the gum, which burns the tissue rather than helping. Keep off that side when you eat and avoid very hot or cold food.
Will the tooth need to come out?
Usually not. Most broken teeth are repairable, and removal is the last option rather than the first. Which repair suits depends on how deep the break goes, and we will show you the options and the costs before anything is done.
Can you see me the same day?
For genuine emergencies we make room. Call 1800 833 844 and we will get you in at the nearest of our six clinics, or guide you on what to do in the meantime if it is after hours.
