Updated on April 4, 2024
6 min read

What is a Donor Tooth Transplant?

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If you’re looking to restore your smile, options like dentures, bridges, and implants work wonders. But the price tag and potential surgery can be a bit daunting.

Here’s where tooth transplantation might interest you. It’s a real procedure, and it might be a surprisingly good solution. Often, it’s even less expensive than the usual replacements. Let’s dive into what a tooth transplant is all about.

Can a Tooth Be Donated?

Imagine losing a tooth, and the dentist moves one of your healthy teeth from another part of your mouth to fill the gap. It sounds wild, but it’s possible⁠—though you can’t donate a tooth to someone else like an organ.

This procedure is called autogenous tooth transplantation.2 In this process, your healthy tooth becomes the “donor tooth.”

While you can’t give your teeth to a friend, you can donate them to help dentists-in-training or for dental research.8

How Does a Donor Tooth Work?

Let’s say you’re a teen who lost a molar to bad decay. That missing tooth can mess with your jaw growth and how your other teeth line up. You can’t get a dental implant until you’re well into your 20s, but using your wisdom tooth as the donor tooth can work.

Your dentist will take the wisdom tooth and move it into the position of the lost molar.2 Dentists call this molar substitution.

They might even team up with an orthodontist to use braces and carefully shift your wisdom tooth into the empty spot. It’s a little different than an autogenous tooth transplantation.

Who Is a Candidate for a Donor Tooth Transplant?

A donor tooth transplant might be the perfect solution if you have a badly damaged tooth, want to avoid artificial replacements, or aren’t quite ready for implants.

But, like any dental procedure, there’s a checklist to ensure it’s a good match. Here’s what your dentist looks for:

  • Good oral health is a must before undergoing this procedure
  • Your donor tooth needs to be healthy
  • The empty spot in your mouth needs solid bone and gum support
  • Your dentist will assess how likely the transplant will take and thrive
  • You should be able to follow your dentist’s instructions perfectly for the best results

If all these qualifications are met, you might just be the perfect candidate for a tooth transplant.

What Is a Donor Tooth Transplant Procedure Like?

This is what you can expect during a tooth autotransplantation procedure:

Selecting and Preparing the Donor Tooth

Before the transplant, your dentist will run extensive checkups on the potential donor tooth and the empty spot in your mouth called the recipient site.

These checkups ensure your donor tooth is in perfect condition:5

  • It should have no decay or damage
  • It’s got to match the shape and size of its new neighbors
  • The root development needs to be just right⁠—not too babyish, not too mature

Even a tooth with a fully grown root can still be a donor, but it’ll need extra preparations like a root canal.

During the Surgical Procedure

During the tooth autotransplantation procedure, your dentist will:

  1. Carefully extract the donor tooth from its original spot
  2. Prepare the recipient site
  3. Transplant the donor tooth into the recipient site
  4. Use sutures to secure the transplanted tooth

Post-Transplant Care

Your dentist will tailor a recovery plan just for you, but here’s the general idea of what you’ll do during post-transplant recovery:

  • Keep your mouth clean to help your new tooth settle in
  • Only eat soft food—think soups, yogurt, and other easy-to-chew foods while things heal
  • Take any pain medicines exactly as your dentist instructed
  • Put the workouts and alcohol on hold for a little bit
  • Attend follow-up appointments with your dentist to ensure everything’s healing perfectly

Follow these steps, and you’ll give your transplanted tooth the best chance for success.

Risks and Safety Considerations of a Donor Tooth Transplant

While tooth autotransplantation offers exciting possibilities, it’s essential to be aware of the potential risks involved. Consider these factors before making your decision:

  • Probability of failure ⁠— Tooth transplantation doesn’t have a 100% success rate. There’s always a small chance things might not work out as planned.
  • Infection ⁠ An infection may develop, especially if you don’t follow your aftercare instructions closely.
  • Rejection — Sometimes, your body may not fully accept the new tooth and reject it.
  • Pain and discomfort Surgery can come with temporary pain and discomfort, but your dentist can help manage that with pain medication. 

Tooth Transplants vs. Dental Implants

Both tooth transplants and dental implants aim to restore your smile, but they go about it differently. Let’s discuss the key differences:

Source of Replacement

The term “autogenous” means “within the body.” Your own healthy tooth becomes a donor instead of taking a replacement from an external source (as in the case of an organ transplant).

Dental implants and crowns are lab-made artificial teeth. A titanium screw is surgically placed into the jawbone, and then a custom crown is attached.

Availability

For tooth transplantations, you need a healthy donor tooth ready to go. Plus, not all dentists perform this specialized procedure since it’s still very new.

Dental implants, on the other hand, are widely available and ready when you need them.

Integration

Your transplanted tooth has natural roots to bond with the surrounding tissues. Meanwhile, a dental implant integrates through osseointegration⁠—the titanium implant fuses directly with your jawbone.

When are Tooth Transplants Not Suitable for Someone?

Sometimes, tooth transplantation isn’t the best option for you. This may be due to the following reasons:

  • The dentist cannot find a healthy donor tooth to extract and transplant.
  • The recipient site has insufficient bone structure or periodontal ligament to support the transplanted tooth.
  • The person has a compromised immune system that increases the likelihood of infection and rejection of the transplanted tooth.
  • The person has a history of poor oral hygiene or dental disease that can lead to complications after tooth transplantation. 

How Much Does a Donor Tooth Cost? 

Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer, as prices can vary depending on several factors:

  • Expenses for the surgery itself
  • Any procedures needed before and after the transplant to make sure everything goes smoothly
  • If your donor tooth needs special handling or preparation

The good news is that tooth autotransplantations tend to be less expensive than dental implants. One study even suggests the cost could be significantly less than a single implant treatment.9

It’s impossible to get a reliable cost estimate without talking to a dentist. They can look at your specific situation and give you a personalized breakdown of what you can expect to pay.

How Long Does a Donor Tooth Last?

Research on how long transplanted teeth last is still ongoing, but the results so far are promising. Some studies have covered the survival rate of autogenous tooth transplantation over a few years.

One study showed that after 5 years, 83.1% of transplanted teeth were still healthy and going strong.13

Another study followed patients for about 11.9 years. An impressive 80% of those transplants were still successful⁠—the teeth were healthy and working perfectly.9 Even better, 95% of transplanted teeth in that study were still in place, even if they weren’t all perfectly healthy.9

Tooth autotransplantation is a complex procedure with both benefits and risks, so we recommend consulting your dentist to see if it’s the right solution for you.

Last updated on April 4, 2024
12 Sources Cited
Last updated on April 4, 2024
All NewMouth content is medically reviewed and fact-checked by a licensed dentist or orthodontist to ensure the information is factual, current, and relevant.

We have strict sourcing guidelines and only cite from current scientific research, such as scholarly articles, dentistry textbooks, government agencies, and medical journals. This also includes information provided by the American Dental Association (ADA), the American Association of Orthodontics (AAO), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
  1. Nimčenko et al. “Tooth auto-transplantation as an alternative treatment option: A literature review.” Dent Res J (Isfahan), 2013.
  2. Kakde KKR. “Tooth Autotransplantation as an Alternative Biological Treatment: A Literature Review.” Cureus, 2022.
  3. Milani S, Generali P. “Tooth autotransplantation. What’s the limit of our possibilities in conservative treatments?” Giornale Italiano di Endodonzia, 2018.
  4. Companioni et al. “Optimizing donor tooth selection for autotransplantation in the anterior maxilla via CBCT-based root width and crown-root angle measurements.” Dent Traumatol, 2023. 
  5. Kvint et al. “Autotransplantation of teeth in 215 patients. A follow-up study.” Angle Orthod, 2010.
  6. Clokie CM, Yau DM, Chano L. “Autogenous tooth transplantation: an alternative to dental implant placement?” J Can Dent Assoc, 2001.
  7. Takahashi et al. “Case report: Delayed autologous tooth transplantation based on objective bone healing of the extraction socket (4-year follow-up).” Front. Dent., 2023.
  8. Breton et al. “Thoughts on donation of a tooth to science, in the course of dental care.” The Journal of forensic odonto-stomatology, 2016.
  9. Luca et al. “Long term survival of mature autotransplanted teeth: A retrospective single center analysis.” Journal of Dentistry, 2020. 
  10. Pabbati et al. “Autotransplantation of Mandibular Third Molar: A Case Report.” Case Reports in Dentistry, 2012. 
  11. Kang et al. “Autogenous tooth transplantation for replacing a lost tooth: case reports.” Restor Dent Endod, 2013. 
  12. Zakershahrak et al. “Autogenous Transplantation for Replacing a Hopeless Tooth.” Iran Endod J, 2017Park et al. “Long-Term Survival Rate of Autogenous Tooth Transplantation: Up to 162 Months.” Medicina (Kaunas), 2022.
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