ortodontist

Sometimes we can’t avoid accidents. That’s life. Sometimes it happens. Especially juniors and athletes should wear mouth guards when in activation with balls, other players, hard objects etc. Mouth guards can help prevent or minimize tooth and jaw injuries.

But, against all odds, regardless of all precautions, an injury may occur. And when it happens, you better know what to do. You can help yourself, till you reach the professional aid.  Here are some scenarios:

BROKEN TOOTH

• Clean the injured area and put an ice pack on the lip or gum.
• Meanwhile don’t lose the fragment part of the tooth.
• Cover any exposed area with sterile gauze.
• Save the tip of the tooth (for possible reattachment) and call your dentist right away.
• Store the tooth fragment in water.

LOOSENED TOOTH

An accident can cause a tooth to come loose from socket, a tooth can be:

• Pushed into the socket (intruded)
• Knocked part way out of the socket (extruded)
• Pushed sideways, but still in the socket (luxated)

If so:

• Apply an ice pack to the injury.
• You may attempt to gently push an extruded tooth back into the socket.
• Call your dentist immediately.

KNOCKED OUT PERMANENT TOOTH

A tooth might be saved if cared for properly and reimplanted as soon as possible. Timely treatment may improve the chances of reattaching an injured tooth.

REMEMBER: TIME IS CRITICAL

• Call your dentist for immediate attention.
• Locate the tooth; hold it by the crown (the wide part, not the pointed end/root).
• Remove large pieces of debris, but avoid rubbing or touching the root.
• Rinse the tooth. Do not scrub. If using a sink, be sure to put the plug in the sink so that the tooth will not go down the drain if it is dropped.
• Attempt to gently put the clean tooth back in its socket. Cover with gauze or tissue and bite down to stabilize it, if possible, or hold the tooth in its socket until seen by the dentist.
• If the tooth cannot be put back into its socket, store the tooth in liquid until you see the dentist. Put the tooth in milk or sterile saline solution (contact lens solution with no preservatives). Do not soak or store the tooth in water because water will kill the cells on the root that are vital for successful reimplantation. If milk or saline solution are unavailable, the tooth can be stored in the cheek where saliva will help provide vitality to the root surface. If stored in the cheek, be careful not to swallow the tooth.
• Do not let the tooth dry out.

JAW IRJURY

An impact to your jaw, may cause injury.

If teeth appear to fit together properly when the mouth is closed:

• Apply ice to control swelling.

• Restrict diet to soft foods and if no improvement occurs within 24 hours, seek dental care

to rule out subtle injuries.

• If in doubt at any time, contact your dentist or seek medical attention.

If teeth do not fit together properly when the mouth is closed:

• Seek emergency medical attention.