A dental injury can occur out of nowhere, and it is important that you’re proactively thinking about looking after your teeth at all times. It is easy to neglect oral health thinking that you won’t suffer from any dental accident.
What happens when you suffer from dental trauma? It will likely result in an emergency trip to the dentist for the dentist to perform emergency treatment for the accident. Another likely result of dental trauma is damage to your smile and oral health. This is especially if you neglect the trauma and expect the pain to away by itself.
Let’s first understand what we mean by dental trauma and the types of trauma you can experience at any time.
What Constitutes Dental Trauma?
Dental trauma is the process of a sudden dental accident that negatively impacts your oral health. An accident such as this is a physical injury to the teeth, gums, bone, lips or tongue. The following dental accidents constitute dental trauma:
- Cracked or Chipped Teeth – this where part of the tooth has been broken but the rest of the tooth is firmly rooted inside the mouth. Portions of enamel may have been chipped, which is easier to reattach with a filling. A cracked or chipped tooth may also damage and expose the inner pulp. This may require root canal treatment
- A Dislocated Tooth – A dislocated tooth occurs when the impact shifts the tooth towards an abnormal position in the socket. The tooth would need to repositioned and then stabilized to avoid it from moving again closer to neighbouring teeth. Dental splinting treatment would need to be performed.
- A Knocked-Out Tooth – A knocked out tooth means that a gap has been left in its socket. Sometimes, a knocked-out tooth can be replanted, but this is what the dentist will decide. You need to make sure that the tooth is placed in a container with milk and stored at room temperature. A knocked-out tooth can cause many oral health complications, and you need to contact the dentist almost immediately so the right measures can be performed.
How Can I Prevent Dental Trauma?
There are some simple precautionary measures you or your child can take to prevent dental trauma, depending on your and their lifestyle. It is just as important for children to take these measures because children are more physically active. This means there is a higher chance of them suffering from a dental accident. Here is how you can prevent dental trauma:
- Wear a dental mouthguard during physical sports so the impact is less felt on your teeth in the event of an accident. Mouthguards have also proven to protect your jaw as well.
- Avoid using your teeth to open things. Your teeth are not an opening tool and they shouldn’t be treated as much. Therefore, if you use your teeth to open or bite down on objects, the damage is inevitable.
- Considering performing techniques that can reduce stress such as meditation. This is because stress can cause teeth grinding, increasing the chances of a dental accident.
Have you suffered from a dental accident? Contact us immediately at Ashfield Family Dental today for emergency treatment. Click here and get started right now.
