With recent discussion of mouth guards on the forum and those that wear them and those that don't , a review of exactly what to do should a dental injury occur may be in order.
So, I happened to go to the dentist today and this is some advice and information he told me:
Treatment depends on exactly what happens to the tooth when the injury occurs.
Fracture of a tooth (broken tooth):
Stabilize the toot that is left in the mouth by having the injured party gently bit on a towel or handkerchief to control the bleeding. The pulp nerve may be exposed which is extremely painful. Transport immediately to the dentist.
Luxation of tooth (tooth is in socket, but in wrong position):
There are three types of luxation.
Avulson (Entire tooth is knocked out):
BEST: Place tooth in a saline solution.
2nd: Place tooth in cold milk
3rd: Wrap tooth in saline soaked gauze.
4th: Place toot in cup of water.
Well, that is all I got. Certainly hope no one ever needs this. Remember a good mouth guard can protect you from many injuries including dental injuries. Train smart!
So, I happened to go to the dentist today and this is some advice and information he told me:
Treatment depends on exactly what happens to the tooth when the injury occurs.
Fracture of a tooth (broken tooth):
Stabilize the toot that is left in the mouth by having the injured party gently bit on a towel or handkerchief to control the bleeding. The pulp nerve may be exposed which is extremely painful. Transport immediately to the dentist.
Luxation of tooth (tooth is in socket, but in wrong position):
There are three types of luxation.
- Extruded tooth: The tooth hangs down from the top or is raided up on the bottom
- Lateral displacement: Tooth is pushed back or pulled forward along jawline.
- Intruded tooth: Tooth is pushed into gum and has a "short" appearance.
Avulson (Entire tooth is knocked out):
- Avoid additional trauma to the tooth while handling. Do not handle tooth by the root. Do not brush or scrub tooth. Do not sterilize the tooth
- Gently rinse the tooth with water if debris is on tooth
- If possible, reimplant tooth and stabilize by biting down on a towel
- Time is very important. Reimplantation within 30 minutes has the highest degree of success rate so the patient needs to see the dentis immediately.
BEST: Place tooth in a saline solution.
2nd: Place tooth in cold milk
3rd: Wrap tooth in saline soaked gauze.
4th: Place toot in cup of water.
Well, that is all I got. Certainly hope no one ever needs this. Remember a good mouth guard can protect you from many injuries including dental injuries. Train smart!