Dental Injuries (cont.)
What is a displaced tooth?
Instead of being completely knocked out of the mouth, a tooth
can be
displaced. A displaced tooth may be pulled out and appear
elongated, or be
pushed in and appear shorter. A displaced tooth can also be
pushed
forward, backward, sideways, or rotated. While not an
emergency, the
sooner the dentist can splint or realign the tooth with
orthodontic
brackets and wires, the easier it can be brought back into
proper
alignment. Trauma significant enough to cause tooth
displacement can also
lead to pulp injury. Therefore, a displaced tooth should be
evaluated
periodically for several months to determine if a root canal
procedure or
tooth extraction is needed.
Prevention of dental injuries
Prevention of dental injuries involves aligning protruding
front teeth
by dental braces and using face masks and mouthguards while
participating
in sports. Mouthguards have been shown to reduce trauma not
only to teeth,
gums, and the surrounding jaw bone, but also to reduce injury
to the
temporomandibular joints (TMJ) and to reduce the intensity and
number of
head concussions. Mouthguards also reduce pressure and bone
deformation of
the skull when a force is directed to the chin.
Before the mandatory use of face masks and mouthguards for
high school
and college football players in l963, 50% of all football
injuries
involved the face and the mouth. Since the mandatory use of
these
protective devices, dental injuries in football players have
almost been
eliminated. It is now recommended that mouthguards be worn, not
only for
organized football, but also for unorganized football, baseball,
basketball, racquetball, soccer, ice, field, and street hockey,
wrestling,
boxing, martial arts, volleyball, rollerblading, skating,
skateboarding,
and bicycling.
Mouthguards can be purchased in pharmacies and sports supply
stores and
molded at home. They can also be custom made by the dentist.
Store-bought
mouthguards are less expensive than custom made ones. However,
the store
bought ones may not fit the athlete's mouth, may become loose,
may be
uncomfortably bulky, and may interfere with speech or
breathing. The ideal
mouthguards are custom made by a dentist. An impression is made
of the
athlete's upper dental arch to make a mold of his/her teeth and
gums. A
custom mouthguard made of a vinyl acetate ethylene copolymer (a
special
plastic) is then fabricated from this mold in the dental office
or by a
dental laboratory. A well-fitting custom mouthguard is
comfortable and
will not interfere with breathing and speech.
- A minor broken tooth (fracture) involves chipping of the
enamel only.
- A deeper fracture can involve both the enamel and the
dentin of a
tooth.
- Death of pulp tissue can lead to serious tooth infection
and abscess.
- A serious fracture that exposes both the dentin and the
pulp tissue
should be treated promptly.
- The most important variable affecting the success of
reimplantation
of a tooth that is knocked out is the amount of time
that the
tooth is out of its socket.
- Care should be taken to handle the knocked-out tooth only
by its
crown and not by its root.
- Prevention of dental injuries involves aligning protruding
front
teeth by dental braces and using face masks and mouthguards
while
participating in sports.
Last Editorial Review: 9/15/2004
- Root Canal - Read about root canal complications, pain, costs and symptoms and signs that a root canal is needed. The dental procedure is a treatment used to save an infected tooth.
- Toothache - Complete explanation of toothache causes including - dental cavities, dental abscess, gum disease, irritation of the tooth root, cracked tooth syndrome, temporomandibular disease, impaction, eruption, as well as diseases. of the heart, sinuses, and ears.
- Dental Crowns - Get information about types of dental crowns (permanent, temporary, porcelain), problems (cap falls out, pain, broken or loose crown) and procedure cost.
Latest Medical News
Oral Health RSS