Dental trauma

Dental trauma is injury to the teeth, gums, and jawbones. The most common dental trauma is a broken or displaced tooth. Dental trauma may be inflicted in a number of ways: contact sports, motor vehicle accidents, fights, falls, eating hard foods, drinking hot liquids, and other such mishaps. Dental trauma includes teeth that are knocked out (dental avulsion), cracked (fractured), forced out of position dental luxation, lateral displacement, or extrusion), pushed up into the jawbone (dental intrusion), or loosened by impact (subluxation or dental concussion). Oral tissues are sensitive, and injuries to the mouth are typically very painful. Dental trauma should receive prompt treatment from a dentist and in some cases is considered a dental emergency.
Causes and Symptoms
The cause of dental trauma varies depending on the age of the child. Toddlers are more likely to injure a tooth by falling, while older children are more likely to suffer dental trauma from a sports injury. Teenagers often present with dental trauma as the result of fights. The incisors in the upper jaw are the most commonly injured teeth. Dental trauma is readily apparent upon examination. Dental x rays may be taken to determine the extent of the damage to fractured teeth. More comprehensive x rays are needed to diagnose a broken jaw.
Treatment
There is a possibility that a permanent tooth that has been knocked out can be re-implanted if handled promptly and correctly. If possible, the tooth should be reinserted in the socket and held there until the child sees a dentist or visits the emergency room. If it is not possible to replace the tooth in the socket, the tooth should immediately be placed in milk, saliva, or cool water with a pinch of saline solution (not contact lens solution or plain water). The tooth should be handled only by the crown and never be allowed to dry out. If a dentist can see the child within half an hour and the tooth has been preserved correctly, there is a possibility that it may be successfully re-implanted. Primary teeth are usually not re-implanted. A dentist should examine the injury as soon as possible. Any pieces from the broken tooth should be saved and taken to the dentist with the child.
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Andrea Navarrete López