Kids love to play outside and ride their bikes so it’s inevitable that at some point in their lives, they may experience dental trauma. In fact, sources show that around 50% of children will at some time in their childhood suffer a tooth injury. A child who has fallen off their bike, for example, may have damaged one or more teeth and be in need of cracked teeth repair or even worse, they may have suffered a knocked out tooth. As anyone with children knows, accidents can and do happen and they can happen at any time of the day or night which is why as an emergency dentist in Manchester we’re kept pretty busy.
Injuries to children’s teeth are most likely to happen between the ages of 1 and 3 when toddlers are starting to take their first steps, and between te ages of 8 to 11 when children get more boisterous and less cautious particularly when they’re participating in contact sports. Mouth injuries can also happen when a child trips or if they’re pushed from behind.
It’s very distressing both for the child and their parents when dental injuries occur and many patients find themselves wondering whether they should seek immediate dental help. Injuries to your child’s mouth can include fractured teeth, teeth that have been knocked out, and teeth that have been pushed out of position pushed up or loosened. With any injuries, it’s always best to keep calm and focus on your child’s well-being.
Wounds should be washed with cotton or gauze very carefully for around 5 minutes. Injuries to primary teeth can have long-term consequences on their eruption and development, so it’s always best to seek dental help as quickly as possible. If it’s during the day your dentist should be able to see your child right away. They’ll be able to check for signs of cracked teeth and other damage that you won’t be able to see yourself. If it’s out of hours then contact your emergency dentist in Manchester.
If permanent teeth have been damaged, then it can have long-term consequences both on their eruption and development. A cracked or chipped tooth isn’t life-threatening and in most cases, your dentist can carry out cracked teeth repair. The most serious injury is when a tooth has been knocked out of its socket altogether, which is known as dental avulsion.
A knocked out baby tooth usually looks far worse than it is and although it can’t be placed back in its socket like a permanent tooth, it’s not likely to impact on your child’s future teeth. You might want to rinse it off and place it under his or her pillow for the tooth fairy to find!
If a permanent tooth has been knocked out, then it’s important to get it back into the socket as quickly as possible. If you can, it’s best to try and do this at the scene of the accident before seeking dental assistance – by acting quickly there’s a good chance that your child’s tooth can be saved but it’s also very important not to damage the tooth further.
There’s more chance of saving a younger child’s knocked out tooth but with prompt action, that of an older child or adult can often be saved too.
For an older child, you could try placing the tooth back into its socket but make sure it’s facing the right way. Most times it will slip back in but be careful not to force it. If it won’t go back in, then as above, keep it moist with milk, water, or saliva and get to your dentist asap.
Treatment for a knocked out tooth varies depending on how long the tooth has been out of the socket and the extent of damage to the tooth and supporting bone. Sometimes it is placed back into the socket easily and other times the process may be more complicated. We’ll need to ensure its position is correct and take an X-ray. We may splint the tooth on either side to hold it in place while the bone attaches, or we may need to carry out a root canal. In the worse case scenario, we won’t be able to save the tooth.
If the tooth couldn’t be found at the scene of the accident or it can’t be saved, then please don’t worry – we still have options. Your child’s tooth gap could be filled with a bridge and then when they’re older we could take a look at restoring it with a dental implant.
Accidents happen, it’s a fact of life. Whether you or your child needs cracked teeth repair or they’ve been unfortunate enough to suffer a knocked out tooth, call Emergency Dentist Manchester on 0161 486 0743 we’re here for you and your family when you need us the most.
No matter how careful we are, accidents can happen. Did you know for example that over 5 million teeth are dislodged each year in both adults and children?
This being the case, it’s important to be prepared for such an emergency. A trauma to the mouth or face may only leave you with a small injury such as a slight chip to your tooth enamel. However, sometimes it can leave you facing more serious issues such as dislodged teeth or a knocked out tooth.
While it’s true that a knocked out tooth can be successfully reimplanted, when such a scary dental emergency occurs, it’s our natural reaction to panic. That said, it’s crucial to act fast and there are a few important steps you must take in order to ensure that you get the best chance at saving your tooth. Let’s take a look at exactly what you need to do in this situation and what knocked out tooth treatment your dentist can then provide.
Aside from deep lacerations to your mouth or gums, knocking a tooth out and dislodged teeth are considered one of the most urgent dental emergencies and both require an extremely fast response. The technical term used in dentistry for a knocked out tooth is called ‘tooth avulsion.’ Avulsion comes from the Latin word ‘avellere’ meaning ‘to tear off.’ Remember, if you find yourself in this situation, call us immediately and make your over way to us as quickly as possible.
It’s worth noting that milk teeth which are knocked out in young children may not be viewed as a dental emergency as such because they’ll eventually be replaced by permanent ones.
Generally, the sooner your tooth is placed back into its socket once again, the better chance it has of surviving in the long-term. With that in mind, here are 5 important steps to take if you’ve suffered a knocked out tooth:
If you can find your tooth, pick it up by touching only the crown (this is the part that’s visible inside your mouth) and try not to touch the root. If you can’t see your tooth, try hard to find it. Although it’s really rare, it’s possible in some cases that it can accidentally be breathed into the lungs when a trauma occurs.
If your tooth comes flying out of your mouth during an impact onto the floor, or you notice that it’s visibly dirty, it’s natural to want to scrub it clean first. However, it’s really important not to scrub the tooth, especially not the root (which is the part that’s usually hidden underneath your gums) as this could lead to further damage to the tooth and drastically reduce the chances of successfully re-implanting it. It’s best to gently rinse the tooth with tap water, milk, saliva or a saline solution.
If you can, try to gently reinsert your dislodged teeth or tooth back into the sockets in your mouth and hold it there. It’s important that the tooth remains moist and doesn’t dry out. If you don’t feel confident, skip this and go straight to step 4.
A couple of other points worth mentioning are:
If for whatever reason you’re unable to re-insert the knocked out tooth back into your mouth, you need to make sure you keep it moist. In order to do this you can place the tooth in either:
Using regular tap water to preserve your tooth while you get to your dentist for knocked out tooth treatment isn’t recommended, as the root surface cells don’t tolerate being in the water for very long.
Get an appointment with us quickly (within 30 minutes if possible) and bring your tooth along with you.
Once you get to us we’ll be able to determine if your tooth looks in good enough condition to be saved and re-implanted. We’ll take some x-rays to check the bone, flush any debris away from the socket and then carefully reinsert the tooth back into the correct position in the socket.
Depending on your situation, we may carry out root canal there and then but whatever the case, we’ll splint your knocked out tooth to the teeth either side using a wire or composite resin material. This is to hold your tooth securely in position while it heals. Healing can take between 4-8 weeks, depending on whether the bone around the tooth was fractured or not.
Your smile is precious, so it’s important to care for it and protect it. To do this, always avoid using your teeth as tools. Never open bottles or packages with your teeth and avoid chewing ice cubes, hard sweets or anything stubborn that could crack a tooth. If you play rough contact sports make sure you wear a mouth guard! This helps to drastically minimise the chances of damage to your teeth but also your lips, cheek, and tongue.
Remember the key to saving your tooth is following the 5 steps listed and getting to your dentist quickly for knocked out tooth treatment. Here at Church Road Dental practice, we offer an out of hours dental emergency service where you can rest assured that you’re in the best possible hands with our experienced team. So if you find yourself suffering from dislodged teeth or a knocked out tooth, follow the advice above and then call us immediately on 0161 485 7376.
