Treatment
Dental trauma in Ashby-de-la-Zouch
A fall, a sporting collision or an accident can chip, loosen or knock out a tooth in a moment. The first hour makes a great difference, and follow-up over the following year protects the nerve inside the tooth.
What to do first
- Adult tooth knocked out. Pick it up by the crown, never the root. If dirty, rinse briefly in milk or saline — do not scrub. Return it to its socket and bite softly on a clean handkerchief, or store it in milk, and get to a dentist within the hour.
- Baby tooth knocked out. Do not replant it; it could damage the adult tooth developing underneath. Have the child seen the same day.
- Chipped or broken tooth. Keep any fragment in a little milk; it is sometimes possible to bond it back. Sugar-free gum or orthodontic wax will protect the tongue from a sharp edge for the time being.
- Loosened or displaced tooth. Do not push it back yourself; stick to soft food and arrange to be seen the same day.
Any head injury, loss of consciousness or bleeding that will not stop should be dealt with at A&E first.
How injured teeth are assessed
We record how the injury happened, examine teeth and soft tissues, test the nerve response of each tooth in the area, check for looseness and take X-rays for root fractures. A tooth that has moved is guided gently back into place and splinted to its neighbours for a week or two.
Why we keep checking
A blow can stretch or tear the small blood supply at the root tip. The nerve might recover fully, or it might fade silently until the tooth discolours or an abscess forms. Injured teeth are reviewed at a few weeks, three months, six months and a year, with nerve tests and X-rays, so that treatment begins at the right moment if it is needed.
Treatment that may follow
- Root canal treatment if the nerve does not recover or becomes infected.
- Specific procedures for young teeth whose roots are still forming.
- Management of root resorption, where the body begins to break down the root after injury.
- Restoring or crowning a fractured tooth, in coordination with your dentist.
Children and sport
Most dental injuries happen to children and teenagers, and a well-fitted mouthguard prevents the majority of sporting ones. We look after the endodontic side of a child’s care and work with the family dentist — see our guide for parents.