Dental trauma involves an injury to your gums, teeth, soft tissue, periodontal ligament or bone surrounding your teeth. The most common causes of dental trauma include falling, sports injury, auto accident or physical violence.

If you have suffered a dental trauma, seek medical attention immediately. If proper medical attention is received in a timely fashion, an injured tooth is often able to be restored to normal function and appearance.

Broken or Chipped Tooth

The American Association of Endodontists reports that broken or chipped teeth are the most common dental injury. If you have a broken or chipped tooth, it is vital that you see a dentist within 12 hours of injury. Should you find the larger pieces of your broken tooth, bring those to the dentist office. Whether or not you have salvaged pieces of your tooth, there are many options available to restore your tooth to its’ original appearance.

Sports Injury

Sports related dental injuries are very common. Therefore, it is wise to take preventative measures to protect your mouth while playing sports.

One of the most effective preventative measures is the use of a high quality, custom mouthguard. Studies show that the use of a custom mouthguard can reduce the risk of sports related dental injuries by 60 times. When compared to the cost of replacing a permanent tooth, the cost of a custom mouthguard with well worth the investment. Contact us today to discuss your available mouthguard options.

Partially Displaced Teeth

If a tooth has been pushed out of alignment, do not move it. See your Auburn family dentist, Dr. Matson, immediately. He will perform a thorough exam and x-rays after which he can advise you on the most appropriate method of treatment.

Knocked Out Teeth

If you are able to locate your tooth that has been knocked out, gently rinse it with water being cautious to not touch the root. Then attempt to reposition the tooth in the socket. The sooner this can occur, the better your chance at being able to salvage the tooth.

When inserting your tooth into the socket, gently hold it in place with your fingers or by biting down. Hold this position for 5 minutes.

For your knocked out tooth to be salvaged, it needs to stay damp. Therefore, if you are unable to place it back in its’ socket you have a few options to preserve it: place the tooth between your tongue and cheek, put it in a plastic bag of cold milk or a plastic bag with your saliva. Do not use tap water as this can damage your tooth roots. You can control bleeding by using gauze or other clean fabric to apply pressure to the affected area.

It is important that you attempt to see your dentist within 30 minutes if at all possible as that will give you the greatest chance of being able to salvage your tooth.

Soft Tissue Injury

If your tongue, gums or other soft tissues have been injured, remove any foreign objects from your mouth immediately and gently rinse your mouth out. After rinsing, apply gentle, direct pressure to the injured area with gauze or other clean material to stop the bleeding. If after 10 minutes the bleeding has not stopped, go to the emergency room.

If you have suffered a dental trauma, contact us immediately! We are ready to assist and ensure your dental well-being, comfort and peace of mind.
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