Dental trauma is a serious injury to parts of your mouth such as the teeth, pulp, jaw, gums, lips, or cheeks. The injuries are usually painful. They require prompt treatment to save the tooth and alleviate the symptoms.
Therefore, if you sustain dental trauma, you should seek treatment from an emergency dentist in Crestwood. Read on for causes, types, and treatments of dental trauma.
What Are the Causes of Dental Traumas?
Dental trauma is usually a result of accidents that injure the face and mouth. For example, you may get trauma while playing sports such as football or hockey.
Alternatively, you can have dental trauma while watching the game on the benches. This happens when the ball accidentally hits you on the face or you get into fist fights after losing the game.
Dental trauma can also be due to motor vehicle accidents or work-related accidents. Sometimes, you may trip down the stairs, slip on the wet floor, and fall, resulting in dental trauma.
What you eat or how you use your teeth can also result in dental trauma. For example, chewing or biting into hard foods or objects can cause dental trauma.
Types of Dental Trauma
- Tooth fracture
Your tooth may sustain a fracture of the alveolar socket, enamel, root, or crown. Some are superficial and leave the tooth with a sharp edge that can be easily filed down. These do not require you to rush to the dentist, but you can schedule an appointment to have the tooth restored.
However, you may sustain a serious fracture that affects the dentin, pulp, and roots. It can cause your tooth to be sensitive to extreme temperatures or pressure. Such an injury increases the risk of bacterial infections since the inner tooth parts are exposed. Therefore, you must visit a dentist when you have this fracture repaired.
- Dislodged or displaced tooth
Dental trauma may result in the displacement of a tooth from its socket. It may sink deep into its socket, hang loosely or shift to the side. A displaced tooth is a dental emergency. This is because it causes severe pain and damages the nerves and tissues in the dental pulp. It requires immediate attention from a dentist who will provide root canal treatment.
- Knocked out tooth
Your tooth may sustain trauma that knocks it completely out of its socket. As a result, you may have severe pain, and your mouth may bleed and swell. A knocked-out tooth requires prompt action for the tooth to be replanted successfully to its socket. Therefore rush to the dentist within 30 minutes of your injury.
Handle the tooth carefully to avoid damaging the connective tissues. If the tooth falls, pick it up by the crown instead of the roots. Rinse away any dirt from it with low-fat milk or a sterile saline solution. Then, press the tooth into the socket and keep it there until you reach the dentist. If not possible, carry it to the dentist in a container with the saline solution or milk.
- Soft tissues injury
Your gums, face, lips, or mouth can also be severely injured, resulting in bleeding and swelling. The injuries will need to be looked at by a dental professional. There may be more injuries visible only through x-rays.
Dental Trauma Treatment
Treatment after dental trauma depends on the injury’s type, severity, and location. Whatever the type of dental trauma sustained, you can minimize the damage by taking the right steps. You should administer first aid to the injured area. Try to alleviate the symptoms and prevent further damage.
It is important to contact the dentist as soon as possible and inform them about the trauma. Do not ignore visiting them, even though the injury seems minor, as it may have unnoticeable damage. The dentist will instruct you on what to do about the issue before reaching their offices.
At their practice, they will examine the area and take x-rays and CT scans to determine the extent of the damage. The diagnosis results will help the dentist create an appropriate dental trauma treatment plan. This plan will focus on short-term and long-term treatments to ensure the tooth regains full function and aesthetics.
Contact or visit us at Family Dental Care-Crestwood for fast and effective treatment after dental trauma.
