Traumatic Dental Injuries

Although most traumatic dental injuries occur in children and teenagers, people of all ages can be affected, usually due to sports mishaps, automobile accidents, or bad falls. Regardless of the cause, it is essential to see an endodontist if you’ve experienced a traumatic dental injury to determine any necessary treatment.

Even if mild, any dental damage requires a dentist or an endodontist’s examination to rule out serious complications such as CNS and jaw or other facial bone fractures. Sometimes, neighboring teeth suffer an additional, unnoticed injury that only a thorough dental exam will detect.

Chipped or Fractured Teeth

Chipped teeth account for the majority of all dental injuries. Most chipped or fractured tooth crowns can be repaired either by reattaching the broken piece or placing a tooth-colored filling. However, if a significant portion of the tooth crown is broken off, an artificial crown or “cap” may be needed to restore the tooth.

Injuries to the back teeth often include fractured cusps, cracked teeth, and the more serious split tooth. If cracks extend into the root, root canal treatment and a full-coverage crown may be required to restore function to the tooth. In addition, split teeth may require extraction.

Dislodged (Luxated) Teeth

During an injury, a tooth may be pushed sideways, out of, or into its socket. Dr. Ahn will reposition and stabilize your tooth. Root canal treatment is usually needed for permanent teeth that have been dislodged and should be started a few days after the injury.

Knocked-Out (Avulsed) Teeth

If a tooth is completely knocked out of your mouth, time is of the essence. The tooth should be handled very gently, to avoid touching the root surface itself. Do not use soap or any other cleaning agent, and never scrape or brush the tooth.

If possible, the tooth should be replaced in its socket as soon as possible. The less time the tooth is out of the socket, the better the chances of saving it.

Once the tooth has been returned to its socket, Dr. Ahn will evaluate it and check for other dental and facial injuries using CBCT imaging. If the tooth has not been placed back into its socket, she will clean it carefully and replace it. Then Dr. Ahn will set a stabilizing splint for a few weeks. Depending on the stage of root development, you may start root canal treatment a week or two later.

Root Fractures

A traumatic injury to the tooth may also result in a horizontal root fracture. The location of the fracture determines the long-term health of the tooth. If the fracture is close to the root tip, the chances of success are much better.

Conversely, the closer the fracture is to the gum line, the poorer the long-term success rate. Sometimes, stabilization with a splint is required for a time.

Traumatic Dental Injuries in Children

Dr. Ahn can aesthetically restore chipped primary (baby) teeth. In addition, dislodged primary teeth can, in rare cases, be repositioned. However, primary teeth that have been knocked out typically should not be replanted.

This is because the replantation of a knocked-out primary tooth may cause further and permanent damage to the underlying permanent tooth growing inside the bone.

Children’s permanent teeth that are not fully developed at the time of the injury need special attention and careful follow-up, but not all of them will require root canal treatment. In an immature permanent tooth, the blood supply to the tooth and the presence of stem cells in the region may enable our team to stimulate continued root growth.

Root Resorption

Resorption occurs when your body, through its defense mechanisms, begins to reject your tooth in response to the traumatic injury. Following the injury, you should return to our office to have the tooth examined and conclude the proper diagnosis with the aid of CBCT imaging.

With any traumatic dental injury, time is of the essence. Contact us immediately.