When dental trauma occurs it can be extremely distressing, painful and worrying for patients who are often unsure of the right course of action for treatment. Should they go to a doctor? Do they need to go to A&E? Is it something a dentist can resolve?
At Advent Dental our experienced clinicians are on hand to help patients who have suffered from dental trauma. Being seen promptly after dental trauma is very important, therefore we will always try and prioritise these emergencies and endeavour to see you as quickly as possible across any of our 3 sites.
Types of Dental Trauma
20-30% of adults will experience some sort of dental trauma during their lifetime. Some of the typical causes of dental trauma include contact sports, cycling and accidents as a result of alcohol consumption.
There are a number of types of trauma that can occur, but the most common ones are;
Knocked Out Teeth
A knocked out tooth doesn’t necessarily mean that the tooth cannot be repositioned in the mouth if properly handled.
If a tooth is knocked out the patients should take the following steps;
- Find the missing tooth and recover it
- Wash it very carefully and remove any dirt
- Avoid touching the root surface and damaging the delicate fibres
- Hold the tooth by the crown
- Where possible, attempt to put the tooth back in the socket within 60 minutes
- If this isn’t possible, place it in a cup of milk and contact the dentist who will advise you on what steps to take next
The likelihood of reattachment decreases the longer a tooth is out of its socket so reacting quickly is essential to give the best chance of success.
Extruding Teeth
When a tooth is knocked badly out of place leaving it sticking out (extrusion) or pointing inwards (intrusion) then patients should try to gently reposition the tooth back into place using a moist, clean flannel or gauze to help.
This should not be done forcibly and if it’s proving too difficult then immediate dental care is needed to help prevent further damage to the tooth or gums.
Cracked Teeth
A broken, cracked or fractured tooth will most likely require immediate treatment depending on the amount of damage. In most cases a cracked tooth is fairly straight forward to repair and will likely require a crown, small filling or composite bonding to resolve but more serious fractures may need root canal treatment or a veneer to fully restore the tooth. For severe cases if the tooth is not saveable then it will need to be extracted and an implant, denture or bridge put in its place.
Advent Dental Trauma Treatment
At Advent Dental we know that dental trauma is time critical and that the window to treat and manage the injury is short which is why we always work quickly to help issue treatment as soon as possible.
Our team not only have expertise in advanced trauma care but both Dr Anthony Clough and Frank Clough have researched the subject of dental trauma and lectured internationally on the topic in order to share their insights and findings with others.
In the event that you are unfortunate enough to suffer from a dental trauma, we have experienced dentists trained by Dr Anthony Clough, able to provide dental cover Monday to Friday, but the provision available to all patients to be seen at Sharrow 365 days a year.
If you would like more information on our dental trauma services or any of our other treatments then please contact us today and one of our friendly and knowledgeable team will be happy to advise you.