Prevention
Prevention is pivotal. Wearing a dental mouth guard while taking part in sports activities can avert or lessen the degree of injury. Common dental injuries seen due to sports are fractured teeth, avulsed or “knocked out” teeth, and trauma to the lips or face.
Mouthguards
- help prevent concussions and all the injuries listed below
- offer great protection with minimal interference with speech and breathing
- ADA estimates that mouthguards prevent 200,000 injuries
- Lebron James, Salvador Perez, Drew Brees, Patrick Kane, and many more athlets wear mouthguards
Fractured Teeth
- if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, call 911
- contact dentist immediately
- take Ibuprofen if able to for the pain/swelling and apply cold to reduce swelling
- when eating, make sure not to use the portion of the mouth where the fracture occurred
- minor fractures can be fixed by a simple smooth-over by a dentist
- major fractures with a healthy pulp can be fixed by a crown or veneer
- major fractures with damaged pulps range from root canal therapy to the loss of the tooth
Avulsed or “Knocked Out” Teeth
- if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, call 911
- adult teeth that have been knocked out require very speedy action for optimal results
- first, rinse the mouth with water and apply ice to the area to reduce swelling
- second, find the tooth; touch only the crown and do not touch the root
- if the tooth is covered in debris, DO NOT rinse with water (will damage cells on the root)
- rinse the tooth off with saliva, and try to replant the tooth in it’s original socket
- if unable to replant in socket, keep tooth in the mouth of the injured person
- remember, the longer the tooth is out of the mouth, the more difficult it is to save
Trauma to the Lip or Face
- swelling and bleed often occurs
- apply ice to the region for the swelling and pressure to stop the bleeding
- if the lip has been split or cut, keep the area moist and contact the dentist or ER immediately