Dental Trauma Tips by Douglas Family Dental Experts

What is Dental Trauma and its types?

Dental Trauma is a sudden injury to your teeth, gums, jawbone or soft tissues of your mouth. An early treatment to this injury gives you highest chances of full recovery.

Dental trauma can happen due to various reasons such as accidents or falls, physical involvement in fights or other incidents, biting on hard objects (ice, pen etc.) or any other unexpected reason.

Common Types of Dental Trauma are-

• • Concussion where there is no evidence of broken or fractured teeth and the teeth remains in normal position. Primary symptom is pain or sensitivity on tapping.
  • Luxated or Dislodged tooth where the tooth is displaced but still attached to the socket. The main symptoms of luxation are bleeding and pain from gums. Luxation can be of two types- Intrusive (tooth moved inside bone) and Extrusive (tooth hanging out of the socket). The symptoms include excessive pain and may feel elongated in case of extrusive luxation.
  • Avulsed or Knocked out tooth where the tooth is completely displaced out of the socket and this type of trauma generally results in tooth loss.
  • Tooth Fracture that completely causes tooth injury and rarely results in dislocation. In this case, the tooth could be broken, fractured, chipped, cracked or pulled out. The symptoms include a visible crack or fracture line, swollen gums, sensitivity, constant pain and sharp or rough feeling on the tooth surface.
  • Soft Tissue Injuries, such as lacerations or cuts to the gums, lips or tongue.

What are the first steps to follow after a dental accident or trauma?

After a dental injury, a quick act can make a big difference and you might prevent complications with your actions. After encountering the accident, call your dentist immediately. If you are in Douglas or surrounding areas, you can call our office at (508) 476-2828 and you will get expert care and immediate support. Before reaching the hospital, you can follow the below tips to take care of your injury-

• If you have a chipped or broken tooth, quick rinse your mouth with warm water and save the broken pieces of your tooth if possible. If available, please apply a cold compress to reduce swelling.
• If the tooth is knocked out, pick up the tooth if you can by the top, not root, and rinse it gently with water. 
• If your tooth is loosened, bite down gently to keep it in place and avoid touching.
• If you have a soft tissue injury, clean the area with water. Apply a clean cloth to stop bleeding and use a cold compress to reduce swelling.

What are the impacts of dental trauma?

Dental trauma can lead to both physical and psychological impact to the patient. While physically it can lead to severe pain, tooth loss or infections, psychologically it can affect the person’s confidence and their willingness to speak or smile in public. Severe pain can also result in anxiety and stress about future dental health. Some long-term effects may include-

• Cosmetic Concerns
• Prolonged sensitivity and chronic pain
• Tooth or Bone Loss
• Misalignment issues

Why Trust Douglas Family Dental in case of dental emergency?

Tooth trauma is scary and during an emergency, you need somebody you can totally count on. At Douglas Family Dental, our team is an expert at handling such situations and always make sure that the patient is at comfort during the entire treatment. We provide multiple emergency treatment options with expert care according to the patient’s dental needs such as-

• Same day emergency appointment to perform dental examination with urgent care
• Root Canal Therapy- If your tooth’s pulp or nerve is impacted by the trauma, we can remove the damaged tissue while preserving your tooth by root canal therapy. 
• Tooth Extraction- If the tooth cannot be saved, we recommend tooth extraction following with replacement solutions.
• Tooth Replacement- In above cases, we recommend dental implants, bridges or dentures to offer long-lasting and natural appearance after the tooth loss.

The dentist only decides what treatment is required in a specific situation, once they have examined your case. At Douglas Family Dental, we have cutting-edge technology such as cone beam 3D imaging, intraoral scanners which help us provide you the best dental care. Dr. Sidhu is an expert at cosmetic dentistry and his goal is always to relieve your pain, save your tooth, and restore your smile as quickly and gently as possible.

Tips to Prevent dental trauma or accidents?

Dental accident or trauma cannot be prevented always, but the risk can be reduced by following some simple tips-

• Always wear a mouth guard while playing sports or any physical activity where you might get hurt.
• Never chew or bite on hard objects such as trying to open a bottle with your teeth.
• Always wear a seatbelt while driving.
• Schedule regular dental checkups with your dentist and maintain a good oral hygiene.

Even if a damages tooth seems fine at first, it can cause problems later. Therefore, it is recommended to do some regular check-ups with your dentist. At Douglas Family Dental, we provide multiple dental services, which can help maintain your dental health, such as-

• Dental cleanings and examinations
• Dental Education
• Preventive dental care such as Scaling & Root Planing, Gum disease treatment etc.
• Restorative services such as dental implants, bridges, root canal, dentures, partials etc.
• Cosmetic dental services such as veneers, invisalign, teeth whitening
• Cone Beam 3D Imaging, Intraoral scanners, Biolase waterlase and Itero Digital Scanner

Therefore, whether it is an emergency or a regular dental care, Douglas family dental has got you covered. If you or a loved one experiences a dental injury, do not wait—call us immediately at and receive the expert care you need.