Does your child participate in sports? If so, you have probably experienced a few trips to the doctor with injuries, or perhaps even the emergency room.
Dental injuries happen too while playing sports. In fact, each year 5 million Americans lose teeth in sports-related injuries. Fortunately, modern dentistry can now repair almost any tooth injury suffered while playing sports.
There are 3 different types of dental sports injuries:
- Cracked or fractured tooth. These occur most often during sports when the player experiences a blow to the face. Mouth guards definitely help – players who don’t wear mouth guards are 60 times more likely to damage their teeth during competition. A cracked tooth has a split that extends downward from the crown into the tooth. Some victims experience sharp pain when biting down or extreme sensitivity to temperatures, but others don’t even know the tooth is cracked until the dentist discovers it at a checkup. A filling or bonding with a tooth-colored composite resin will repair most fractured teeth.
- Fractured root. Sometimes a tooth crack will begin in the root and travel towards the tooth’s chewing surface. These fractures are often invisible, so they may not be discovered until an infection sets in. A timely root canal can help prevent infection and necrosis that can lead to loss of the tooth.
- Tooth intrusion. An intrusion occurs when the tooth is driven back into the jawbone. Although fairly rare, an intrusion can cause shortening of the roots and destruction of the tooth’s pulp.
The key to preventing long-term dental problems from a sports-related dental injury is to get your child to a dentist immediately when the injury occurs. Please view any of these dental injuries as a dental emergency and call us as soon as possible for immediate treatment.
Let Us Know If You Have Questions on Any Aspect of Oral Health Care
Dr. Lorraine Burio of Candlewood Dental Care has been treating and educating patients for over twenty-five years. Our office serves the New Fairfield, New Milford, Danbury, and Sherman areas of CT and Pawling, Patterson and Putnam Lake of New York. You can call us at 203-746-1200 or make an appointment here.