There are many ways for you to sustain tooth or dental trauma, some of which are caused by car accidents, fights, sports, falling, and even biting on hard foods or objects. When you get injuries in your mouth and teeth, they can be incredibly painful and result in excessive bleeding, cuts, and even punctures.
Because you can get dental injuries from different activities and situations, you should be aware of various kinds of tooth trauma that you can sustain. Also, most of these injuries may need proper diagnosis and treatment from your local dentist.
If you're curious about tooth injuries, you've come to the right place. Below is a list of common tooth traumas that you should be aware of. Let's begin!
Cracked teeth
Cracked teeth are a relatively common type of tooth injury that many people can sustain due to accidents, grinding, clenching, and chewing on hard objects or foods.
When you have cracked teeth, you'll experience intermittent pain when you chew and eat food that is too hot or too cold. You get these discomforts because the pulp in your tooth is irritated, or could have infections due to the crack. This is particularly dangerous for your mental health because the infection, if untreated, may spread to your bones, gum tissues, and surrounding teeth.
Since you get pulp damage when you have cracked teeth, your local dentist would recommend getting a root canal to treat the affected tooth. After getting a root canal, your dentist will attempt to restore your tooth by installing a crown to protect and hold the pieces of your teeth.
Chipped, fractured, or broken teeth
Some minor chips and fractures may not require immediate dental care; you should still treat them to prevent additional injuries that the sharp edges of your tooth may give you, such as cuts on your oral tissue.
If you got a chipped tooth, but the pulp isn't damaged, your dentist can quickly replace the missing portion using tooth-colored veneers or composites. However, if you lose a larger part of your tooth and there is irrevocable pulp damage, your dentist may need to give you root canal treatment and then attach a veneer to protect your tooth.
Dislodged teeth
Sometimes when you get into an accident, your tooth may be pushed to one side, or out of or into its socket. When you have luxated or dislodged teeth, your dentist will recommend that they get repositioned and stabilized immediately.
Just like the previous tooth traumas, you'll also need to get root canal treatment for this type of injury. However, you should wait a week after sustaining the trauma before you can move forward with this treatment.
Knocked-out teeth
If your tooth gets completely knocked out from your dental cavity, you need to seek dental care immediately. If possible, place it in milk to keep it hydrated, and head to the dentist to put the tooth back in its socket. The lesser the time the tooth is out of the socket, the better the chances of your doctor saving it.
When you're on your way to getting dental assistance, stabilize the tooth by minimizing bleeding. You can do this by biting on clean gauze, a wet tea bag, or a cloth.
Conclusion
Sustaining dental injuries can be traumatizing and can sometimes scare you at the moment. But if you're aware of the causes and how to properly treat them, you'll be able to avoid these types of accidents and avoid sustaining these types of injuries. However, if you do get into an accident and experience tooth trauma, it's best to visit your local dentist right away for proper treatment and prevent the injury from getting worse.
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