Dental Sports Injuries? See a Dentist Quick!

Violent sports often result in many injuries. This can be bad for your dental health when a tooth gets knocked out. Treatment varies depending on the severity, location, and type of injury. The latter has three common types:

Chipped/fractured tooth. Most cases can be repaired either by filling/restoration or by reattaching the broken piece. An artificial crown may be needed if a significant part of the tooth is chipped off. If the pulp (the part of the tooth containing soft connective tissues) is exposed, a root canal treatment may be required. In cases of split tooth where the cracks reach the roots, treatment options include root canal treatment and full coverage crown or complete extraction.

Knocked-out tooth. If the tooth is completely knocked-out of the mouth, handle the tooth with care. Avoid touching the root and if it is soiled, gently wash it with cold and clean water; never scrape or brush it. To keep the living cells alive for a couple of hours, keep the tooth in milk or the patient’s saliva to prevent the root from drying out.

In cases where the patient suffers from dental anxiety, a Dallas, PA sedation dentist offers a pain-free solution, with makes it possible for the patient to have little to no memory of the procedure. Dental injury is an emergency which can result in permanent tooth loss so see a dentist as soon as you can.