Were you not wearing a mouthguard, and now find yourself with a knocked out tooth? If so, you'll need to act quickly and follow some very specific steps if your hope is to save the tooth and have it put back into the socket. Be sure to do these 5 things to ensure success.

Immediately Stop And Look

It's important that you find that tooth, especially if you lost it on the field during a game. When you realize the tooth is gone, stop the action and have nobody move. Get down on the ground and see if you can find where the tooth went.

Do Not Touch The Tooth's Root

Make sure that nobody touches the tooth by its root once they find it. A tooth should only be touched by its crown, which is the top part that sticks out past the gum line. Teeth have roots that are delicate, and they can be damaged if the roots are touched by dirty hands. You may not be able to save your tooth if the root is damaged.

Rinse Off The Tooth

You'll need to clean off dirt that is on the tooth, but be careful about what you use to do so. Try to use your saliva if possible, but you can also use milk. The cells located on the tooth's root won't be able to tolerate rinsing with water, where milk keeps the tooth very moist and won't cause damage.

Store The Tooth

You can store the tooth in one of two places. If you're able to, the best solution is to place your tooth back into the socket that it came out of. Use a clean piece of fabric to lightly bite on so that you can put pressure on the tooth to hold it in place, and keep it there on your way to a dentist.

Another option is to put the tooth in a container with your saliva or milk to keep it moist. Once again, do not use water to do this.

Visit An Emergency Dentist

Visiting an emergency dental care service is crucial to getting that tooth secured back into its socket. You should immediately head to one, which should have 24 hour availability for emergency situations such as this. The faster they work on putting the tooth back in place, the better chances you have of saving the tooth, saving you from needing to get a dental bridge or implant.