Preventing Tooth Loss After an Oral Injury

Although there are ways to prevent some oral injuries, not all are preventable. Unexpected accidents, like a car accident or fall, can cause dental damage, including tooth loss. It is important to seek dental treatment as soon as an oral injury occurs. Restorative dentistry treatments are available to treat dental damage, including tooth loss, and restore oral health. To learn more about treating tooth loss and oral injury, schedule a consultation with Philadelphia, PA dentist Bruce Wilderman.

Causes of Oral Injury

Oral injuries have many causes. Oral injuries may be more or less severe, depending on the type of accident or trauma experienced. An oral injury may be minor, like a small fracture or chip, or a more serious dental problem, like the complete loss of a tooth. Oral injuries are often unexpected and, therefore, hard to prevent. Some of the most common causes include:

• Falling
• Sports-related injury
• Being hit in the face
• Car or motorcycle accident
• Biting down on a hard object, such as food or a pen cap  

What Should You Do after an Oral Injury?

In order to ensure the health of your teeth and gums, it's important to seek dental treatment immediately following an oral injury. Even if a tooth appears to be fine after an accident, damage could have been sustained to the root and the tooth could fall out at a later date.

Trauma to the roots can cause damage to the nerves and blood vessels, which nourish the teeth, and cause the tooth to die. As a result, the tooth may turn black within a few days or weeks and fall out on its own.

Seeing a dentist early can help prevent further dental damage and tooth loss. If a tooth has been knocked out by an oral injury, it may be saved if emergency dental care is sought. Taking the following actions immediately after a tooth becomes dislodged can help save a tooth until emergency dental care is provided:

• Locate the tooth
• Once found, avoid touching the roots of the tooth and lift it by the crown
• Clean the tooth in a saltwater solution or milk
• Do not let the tooth dry out
• Gently place the tooth back into the empty socket
• Keep the tooth in place by biting down on a clean soft cloth or gauze
• Seek emergency dental treatment immediately

Treatments for Tooth Loss

By seeking treatment immediately after an oral injury, tooth loss can often be prevented. Fortunately, when tooth loss cannot be prevented, there are many options to replace missing teeth and restore the smile. Patients who have lost one or more teeth may benefit from such treatments as:

• Dental bridges
• Dentures
• Dental implants

Learn More about Your Treatment Options

Seeking immediate treatment after an oral injury can help prevent tooth loss and ensure a healthy smile for years to come, but if a tooth is lost, Dr. Wilderman specializes in a variety of treatments to restore dental appearance and function. To learn more about your treatment options, we invite you to schedule a consultation with Dr. Wilderman today.