Teeth breaking or Fracturing after the Trauma of an accident, can be dealt with to minimise dental complications later. Read below what can be done if a blow to the face or impact fractures and breaks teeth, with other injuries too.
In short, keep any knocked-out teeth in milk (not broken bits, just whole teeth with roots attached) and see a Dentist within 30 mins - if person lost conciousness even briefly, just go STRAIGHT to A+E Hospital, incase bleeding in brain - Teeth come second to Major Medical complications !

Acutely fractured teeth often happen during a distressing incident such as an accident or an assault, involving damage to the mouth.
The information published below is just for general guidance only and does not substitute for you seeking professional advice.
In the UK, telephone advice can be obtained from NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 for Dental or Medical problems, as well as from your own Dentist or Doctor. If in any doubt seek Medical/Dental attention immediately.

Please note: Disclaimer - All information on this site is purely for general interest only - you should always seek external "independent" advice before acting upon ANYTHING published on this site. Thankyou. Copyright © 2001-2007 Dr.A.Kilcoyne. All rights reserved.

Immediate Action usually necessary after severe Dental Trauma:

If there was a loss of consciousness, no matter how brief, you must get that person to hospital as quickly and safely as possible, or call the Emergency services for help. possible Brain damage or damaged bleeding vessels internally are a far greater emergency than teeth!
If there was no loss of consciousness, find or confirm the location of any tooth fragments. Keep any pieces you find, they may be useful later. If the whole tooth has been knocked out (Root and Crown intact) then it may be possible to "re-implant" this if done by a Dentist, ideally within the hour! After 24 hours a whole tooth is unlikely to "take" if implantation is attempted. The best chances are within the hour. Re-implantation does not apply to "first" baby teeth, just second "adult" teeth. If the soft tissues don't stop bleeding quickly, applying gentle but constant pressure with a clean, cotton handkerchief will help greatly. Don't dab on and off, but keep pressing for about 5 mins.
If you can't confirm that the tooth fragments left the body, further investigations will be needed to confirm they are not embedded in soft tissues (e.g.: lips) or swallowed or worst of all, inhaled into the lungs. Naturally, seek Professional help immediately.
Initial damage assessment/action:

Put any whole teeth in milk and DO NOT scrub off any dirt, just gently rinse in milk.
There may be other damage done apart from teeth, such as fractured cheek or facial bones. If the white part of the eye has blood in it, this could damage the eyesight if not treated. If you are suspicious of ANY other damage/problems apart from teeth, seek medical attention immediately.
Lips often swell and bleed profusely, but usually stop bleeding quickly if the lips are not disturbed too much. Ask the injured not to talk too much and reassure them. Jaw bones can be fractured, but this is less common in children as their bones are "rubbery", but fractures are more common in the elderly, as bones get more brittle. If there is any outside dirt or soil in the wounds, try to gentle wipe or dab these away, so they do not leave a "DIRT" tattoo in the face later. Remember to update their TETANUS status too, perhaps needing a booster later!
If there is any difficulty talking or pain on opening the mouth, get the injured to keep their mouth closed, but make sure they can breath through their nose without distress and lean their head forwards. Get help urgently! (eg: phone 999 UK, 112 Europe, 911 USA etc.).


At the Dentist:

Assuming any urgent medical problems have been dealt with first, the Dentist can assess any damage. Teeth may be loose but undamaged or pieces may be fractured away. The Dentist will check any damage and do initial repairs to allow lips etc. to heal before re-assessing treatment needs.
Small fractures can be fixed to look good. Slightly mobile teeth usually firm up by themselves. Teeth that move a lot (>2mm) will often be splinted to stabilise them. Larger fractures may have exposed the nerve of the tooth and require a root canal treatment to remove the exposed nerve comfortably.
Some teeth go darker 2 weeks to several months after the injuries.
These have had a nerve die from the trauma shock. They usually require root canal treatment too and often internal bleaching to reduce the darkness. Despite this, they may still need a further Cosmetic solution later (e.g.: Veneer or Crown).
Some fractured fragments fit together exactly, allowing them to be glued together. Otherwise tooth-coloured fillings and bonding are used initially, with other treatment often needed later.


Prevention:

Accidents can happen anywhere, but Gumshields are particularly useful for contact sports and racket sports, both to prevent tooth injuries AND protect any corrective or Cosmetic work done in your mouth.
Diseased or heavily filled teeth (past-disease) are obviously more vulnerable to breaking, than intact, health teeth. Also bad habits, such as clenching and grinding (stress?), can weaken teeth and create growing fractures - these may need re-inforcing with Crowns to prevent serious fractures/tooth-loss etc.So general prevention and regular visits to your Dentist can help improve health and reduce problems.

If any accidents happened outside and dirt got into any wounds, remember to update your Tetanus status.
Please note: Disclaimer - All information on this site is purely for general interest only - you should always seek external "independent" advice before acting upon ANYTHING published on this site. Thankyou.

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