Dental Trauma
Do you have an unexpected dental injury in New York and looking for immediate treatment at your nearest locality? Highline Dental Practices has a well-equipped team to tackle the different issues of dental trauma, and Dr. Kim leads the team with valuable suggestions to ensure that the patients are taken good care of and are comfortable under such anxiety-driven situations.
What Is Dental Trauma?
Any physical injury caused to the dental area is known as dental trauma. The injury can be to the teeth, gums, lips, jawbone, alveolar bone, and even to the mouth’s soft tissues. Some of the injuries that are noted as dental trauma are
- Jaw fractures
- Tooth Fractures
- Knocked out tooth
- Fractures in the tooth socket
- Jammed tooth
- Lacerations of teeth and gums
- Knocked loose teeth
Causes Of Dental Trauma
Due to any accident, there can be a sudden impact on the facial area that can affect the teeth area badly. Some of the causes of dental trauma are
- Accidents involving vehicles
- Injuries at work
- Sports injuries
- Biting into hard foods
- Falls
- Consumption of hot liquids
- Lip and tongue piercings
- Protruding teeth
It can be quite frightening when dental trauma occurs. Still, it is easy to treat the person who tries to remain calm during the situation, so reach our Highline Dental Practices immediately, and our dental experts will treat it immediately. They can resolve most cases of dental trauma.
In case of a tooth knockout, ensure that the tooth is rinsed well and soaked in a milk box. The tooth reattachment can be easily done within 30 minutes of the fall, so ensure to reach the dental clinic quickly since each minute matters in dental trauma. The first task in dental trauma treatment is to stop bleeding, so until you reach our dental office, place a gauze on the dental wound and apply pressure until the bleeding is reduced.
Types Of Dental Trauma And Their Treatments
Tooth Fracture
The tooth fracture can be a minimal one with tooth chipping and cracking or can also be a serious one like tooth root fractures that can be vertical or horizontal too.
The severity and location of the tooth fractures can be diagnosed with dental X-rays. The tooth has two layers, enamel and dentin, that stand as a strong protective layer to the inner tooth roots. In minor fractures, the outer layer of enamel may be affected and can immediately treat it.
If the severity of the fracture is more and exposing the dentin part is, then it has to be treated since the tooth’s pulp will also be injured during such fractures. The tooth will be loosened due to severe fractures and cannot be placed again. The dental surgeon would usually suggest tooth extraction in such circumstances and will be replaced with a temporary tooth until a dental solution is finalized for the placement of a permanent tooth.
Chipped Tooth
It is a minor dental trauma involving chipping out of the enamel. There will be no blood loss or displacement of the tooth. The chipped part of the tooth will be a bit rough or sharp which may affect tongue in cheek. Using orthodontic gum to cover the sharp edges will be helpful until a dental visit is made for crown replacement or just dental filling, depending on the amount of tooth chipping.
Enamel or Dentin Fracture
Dental X-rays are crucial to finding the fracture’s intensity since they don’t display any gum bleeding or tooth displacement symptoms. The only symptom the person may feel is sensitivity toward temperature variations, such as biting and chewing hot and cold foods.
If the enamel or dentin fracture has affected the tooth pulp, it may have caused an underlying infection that may lead to root canal treatment, and tooth extraction cannot restore the tooth after the treatment.
Displaced Tooth
The displaced tooth makes the tooth out of its position, causing it to look out of alignment. Such misaligned teeth can be positioned in any direction with the help of aligning braces. Regular monitoring of the displaced tooth is important since the severity of it can cause damage to the tooth root that leads to tooth extraction or root canal treatment.
How to Prevent Dental Injuries?
Dental injuries happen accidentally and may not be under your control, but one of the best precautions to avoid dental injury is using a mouth guard and face masks.
Mouthguards are one of the best options since they protect the teeth, gums, jaw bones surrounding the face, and temporomandibular joints (TMJ).
They also protect the face and skull from any deformations and damage when the chin is hit directly during injuries.
Mouthguards are available in sports stores and pharmacies. The disadvantage is that it needs to be custom-made and may need a better fit.
The ideal suggestion given by Dr. Kim is to get a custom-made mouthguard from the dentist since the ready ones may not be comfortable to use since they can look bulky and loosened and can cause speech issues.
We at Highline Dental provide immediate treatments for dental trauma and custom-made mouthguards fabricated with high-quality plastic material according to your requirements. Please schedule an appointment with us to know more about dental services.
FAQ
1. Can dental trauma require a root canal?
A tooth may be forced sideways, out of, or into its socket during an accident. Your tooth will be repositioned and stabilized by an endodontist or general dentist. Permanent teeth that have become loose typically require root canal therapy, which should begin several days after the trauma.
2. How long does it take to recover from dental trauma?
Your tooth will take up to 6 weeks to fully recover if the traumatic situation does not harm the tooth’s internal nerve structure. Most of the harm is probably going to come from the tooth’s supporting tissue being harmed (the gum and bone tissue). The discomfort and swelling will take a few weeks to go down, just like a bruise on your arm.
3. What is dental trauma?
Dental trauma is damage to the teeth, periodontal ligament, and surrounding soft tissues.
4. Can dental trauma cause blisters on my lip?
Blisters (vesicles or bullae) or ulcers can develop in the mouth as a result of any sort of harm or injury to the mouth, such as when the inside of the cheek is unintentionally biting or scraped by damaged or sharp teeth or ill-fitting dentures.
5. Does dental trauma go away?
Small fractures are easily repaired with fillings, but pulp, dentine, or enamel damage may require a full permanent crown to reconstruct the tooth. The tooth may not be able to heal if the trauma is sufficiently severe.