Dental Trauma
**If you experience trauma to your face or head that causes loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, or nausea/vomiting -- seek immediate medical treatment at an emergency room prior to addressing your dental trauma**
Traumatic Tooth Injuries
Traumatic dental injuries often occur as a result of an accident or sports injury. The majority of these injuries are minor - chipped teeth. It's less common to dislodge your tooth or have it knocked completely out but these injuries are more severe. Treatment depends on the type, location and severity of each injury. Regardless of the extent of the injury, your tooth requires immediate examination by a dentist or an endodontist. Sometimes, your neighboring teeth suffer an additional, unnoticed injury that can only be detected by a thorough dental exam. Endodontists are dentists who specialize in treating traumatic dental injuries. With our advanced skills, techniques and technologies we can often can save injured teeth. If you have a cracked or injured tooth, find an endodontist near you right away. We offer tremendous flexibility in accommodating emergency cases, including weekends in some instances. You'll have relief from your pain and likely save your tooth, so act as quickly as possible.
Chipped or Fractured Crowns ("Broken Tooth")
If you've chipped or fractured your tooth's crown, your general dentist will need to cosmetically repair it. This can be done either by reattaching the broken piece, by putting a tooth-colored filling in place, or a crown or may be needed to restore it. When the pulp is exposed or damaged after a crown fracture, endodontic treatment will be needed. For adult teeth, root canal treatment will be done. For developing teeth, such as in young children, there are other endodontic treatments that can potentially protect and preserve the pulp.
Displaced (Luxated) Teeth
During an injury, a tooth may be moved out of its normal position. It may be pushed sideways (lateral luxation), out of its socket (extrusive luxation), or into its socket (intrusive luxation). It's important to see an endodontist or general dentist immediately after this type of injury so the tooth can be repositioned and stabilized with a splint. Root canal treatment is usually needed for teeth that have been displaced. It important to see an endodontist within 1-2 weeks after the splint has been placed for an evaluation of the pulp status for both adults and children.
Avulsed (Knocked-Out) Teeth
If one of your teeth is completely knocked out, gently rinse (do not rub) the tooth with saline or milk while holding the crown of the tooth, then place it back in the socket and hold it in place by biting down on a folded napkin or paper towel. If you aren't able to replace it into the socket yourself, place the tooth in saline or milk. In either instance, seek dental treatment immediately. Ideally the tooth should be replaced back into the socket within less than an hour. A stabilizing splint will be placed for the next few weeks. Depending on the stage of root development, your dentist or endodontist may start root canal treatment a week or two later.
Root Fractures
A traumatic injury to your tooth may also result in a root fracture. The location of the fracture determines the long-term health of your tooth. The closer a fracture is to the root tip, the better the chances of success and long-term health; fractures closer to the gum line are more debilitating for your tooth. Sometimes, stabilization with a splint is required while the tooth heals.
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