Dental Trauma

Dental trauma may cause a piece of tooth breaking away, to a tooth being knocked completely out of its socket (Avulsion) or being pushed out of position. In more severe cases the jaw may be broken. Usually the hospital will take care of more severe injuries, but a general dentist will see the common problems.

If a tooth has been avulsed it may be able to be kept with quick and appropriate management. Please down load the free App called Knocked Out (available on both Android and Iphone).

Complications that may require further care are an exposed pulp (exposure of the nerve in the tooth), or pulp necrosis (the nerve inside the root dying) which may cause a dental infection. An avulsed tooth, a poorly positioned tooth, or complications of the attachment of the root to the bone (periodontal complications), or an abnormal attachment of the root to the bone (ankylosis) can all be complications of dental trauma.

Discolouration of a traumatized tooth may occur with time. This is either due to bleeding within the internal part of the tooth or the break down products of the dental pulp changing the internal colour of the dentine. If the discolouration is from internal bleeding, then this may reverse over the following weeks or months. If the pulp has become necrotic then the internal part of the tooth may be internally bleached following root canal treatment. This assessment is done at the consultation visit.

The treatment available to these problems range from re-positioning the tooth in its correct position, to root canal treatment, to replacement of a missing tooth.

Visit Root Canal TreatmentPulpotomy, Dental Trauma or Dental Implant for more information.

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