Dental Trauma

Despite continuous dental care and proper oral hygiene, there may come a time when your child experiences a traumatic injury to their mouth and teeth. This injury may cause the tooth to break, shift or completely fall out. It is important to receive care for an emergency as soon as possible. In some cases, (such as a knocked out permanent tooth) it’s recommended that you seek treatment immediately after experiencing the traumatic event.

If you do not seek treatment of a traumatic injury, you could be putting your child’s oral and sometimes general health at risk. A tooth that is broken or cracked could have an exposed pulp, which will eventually become painful and uncomfortable. A traumatic injury can even get worse over time. If your child’s permanent teeth gets knocked out completely it needs immediate treatment! Something that may seem minor may become more and more problematic the longer it is left.

There are many injuries that can occur, and they often happen without any warning. Having your child wear a mouth guard when playing sports can help to prevent traumatic injuries. Some of the most common injuries include:

• Root or crown fractures – The root or crown of a tooth has broken or cracked, exposing the inner pulp of the tooth.

• Displaced teeth – An injury has caused a tooth to be knocked deeper into the bone or completely out of place.

• A tooth has fallen out – An injury has caused a tooth to fall out completely.

If you child experiences nausea, vomiting, dizziness, loss of consciousness seek immediate emergency care at your local hospital to rule our internal head injury. If you can find the piece of broken tooth, save it so that we may be able to glue it back to the tooth. For root or crown fractures, we will examine the tooth and take x-rays to determine if the nerve is exposed. If the nerve has become exposed, we will recommend appropriate therapy based on the condition. For a displaced tooth, a splint can be used to help position the tooth into correct alignment.

If your child is experiencing dental trauma, call us today so that we can get them in for a consultation as soon as possible.