Traumatic dental injury
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Traumatic dental injury
Dental trauma is any injury to your teeth, gums, jawbone or soft tissues of your mouth. Accidents, such as falls, car wrecks and sports-related injuries are the main cause of traumatic dental injuries. Early treatment gives you the best chance for full recovery.
There are many types of dental injuries, including:
- Chipped teeth.
- Cracked teeth.
- Dislodged teeth (luxation).
- Knocked-out teeth (avulsed tooth).
- Tooth jammed into a socket (intrusion).
What to do if you have dental trauma
The first thing you should do is call a dentist. They can give you specific instructions for your situation. If you don’t have a dentist, or if it’s after your dentist’s business hours, you should visit an urgent care clinic.
Some dental injuries, like a slightly chipped tooth, can wait until you can schedule an appointment with a dentist. Other injuries, like a knocked-out tooth or broken jaw, need immediate treatment.
While you’re waiting to see a dentist, here are some things you can do in the meantime:
- If you have a fractured tooth, try to locate any broken pieces and bring them to your appointment with you. If jagged edges irritate your tongue, cover the rough spots with orthodontic wax. You can buy wax at most pharmacies.
- For a knocked-out tooth try to gently place it back in its socket. (Don’t touch the tooth root.) If you can’t place your tooth back in its socket, put it in a container with milk and bring it to your appointment with you. Sometimes dentists can replant knocked-out teeth. But you only have a short window of time to do this — usually within 30 to 40 minutes.
- If you have mouth pain, take over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
- Use an ice pack to soothe any swelling