Tooth injuries can happen when you least expect them. When you have dental trauma, it’s good to know where to go to give your tooth a chance of survival—Trust Endodontics Associates of Georgia for the care you need following a traumatic tooth injury. Our endodontists treat the tooth from the inside, ensuring it lasts many years after restoration.
“Do you have a knocked-out or broken tooth in Atlanta, Georgia? Our office has a qualified team and technology to resolve even the most complex traumatic injuries. Please schedule an appointment with our endodontists, Drs. Damaries Candelario-Soto, Yanina Figueroa, Joseph Yoo, Shaletha Bolden, and Yasir Al-Drugh for expert care.
What are the common types of dental trauma?
Traumatic dental injuries often result from sports injuries, accidents, falls, knocks, and other incidences. Dental trauma can be minor, such as a chipped tooth, or severe, like a knocked-out tooth. Whatever the case, you must seek medical attention to prevent further health complications.
Here are the common types of traumatic dental injuries:
- Avulsed teeth: What professionals call avulsed teeth, many people know them as knocked-out teeth. This injury occurs when the whole tooth falls out of its socket. When you encounter this injury, try to reinsert the tooth to its socket. If you can’t, keep the tooth in a moist environment, preferably in a container of milk, saliva, or the area between the inside cheek and jaw. Only hold your tooth by the crown—don’t touch the root part.
- Dislodged (luxated) teeth: A traumatic injury may push your tooth sideways, in or out of the socket. This injury requires the attention of an endodontist because the pulp chamber is most likely to be affected.
- Fractured teeth: You can break your tooth after biting into a hard substance, fall, or blow to your face. Tooth fractures may involve tooth separation, but the parts are still connected. Sometimes, a piece of the tooth may break off. Whatever the case, a tooth fracture is a medical emergency and should be treated urgently.
How are traumatic tooth injuries treated?
There is no one-size-fits-all treatment for traumatic dental injuries. The treatment administered depends on the type and severity determined after a comprehensive exam.
The following are treatment options for traumatic dental injuries.
- Reimplantation: If you have a knocked-out tooth, it’s crucial to see an endodontist within 30-60 minutes for the best chance of successful reimplantation, provided that the tooth is in good condition and that there are no issues related to how the tooth is stored and the overall oral health of the individual. Once you bring your tooth, the doctor will perform a root canal before reimplantation to prevent infection. He will reinsert the tooth in its socket and may place a stabilizing splint for the next few weeks, allowing the gums to reattach.
- Root canal therapy: When the tooth is broken or luxated, the pulp chamber may become inflamed or irritated, causing several unpleasant symptoms. In such cases, the endodontist performs root canal therapy to remove the diseased pulp chamber. Once your root canal-treated tooth is restored with a crown, it will look and function like other teeth.
- Apicoectomy: If the dental trauma damages your tooth’s apex (tip), you may need more than a standard root canal. However this descision to perform an apicoectomy is based on the specific circumstances of the case and may not be necessary in all instances of dental trauma. Endodontic surgery removes the root end and seals it to prevent re-infection.
- Apexogenesis: We recommend this treatment for patients whose teeth have yet to fully mature. Apexogenesis encourages the growth of the root, ensuring the tooth reaches full maturity and strength. However, if the root and pulp have severe damage, the doctor will perform apexification by cleansing the pulp chamber and closing the root end.
Do you have a traumatic dental injury?
Time is of the essence if you have an injured tooth. Whether you have a broken or knocked-out tooth, call (770) 954-8338 to schedule an appointment with Endodontics Associates of Georgia for urgent treatment. For your convenience, we have offices in Atlanta, Kennesaw, Cartersville, and Roswell.
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