Tooth avulsion occurs when a tooth is forced out of the gum line and causes damage both to the gum tissue and the dental structure. A child or adult can experience an avulsed tooth due to an accident or injury.
The most common cause of tooth avulsion is a severe blow to the mouth area. This may have been caused by an accident, a sporting injury, or an assault. A medical emergency such as concussion, disorientation or heavy bleeding may be associated with dental trauma.
Tooth avulsion may occur in sporting activities such as rugby or boxing if the mouth is injured when physical contact occurs. For this reason, players commonly wear mouthguards to protect their teeth and gums from damage.
Childhood Tooth Avulsion
Treatment for childhood dental avulsion where a baby tooth falls out differs from an avulsed tooth in an adult. Children’s milk teeth are already in the process of falling out to be replaced by developing adult teeth whereas an adult already has their full set of permanent teeth.
With a child, when a tooth becomes avulsed prematurely due to injury, the dentist may decide the best course of action is to relieve any pain and let the socket heal naturally. The adult tooth will develop in time and take the place of the avulsed tooth.
Treating tooth avulsion is different from treating a dislodged or loose tooth because the tooth may have been fully knocked out or it may be partially detached. If it is partially detached, then the tooth may be hanging from a dental nerve and for a full recovery, it’s essential to preserve this nerve.
The dentist will examine the person’s mouth to assess the type of dental trauma and decide on the appropriate treatment.
Tooth avulsion is one of the most common emergency dental treatments and yet many people are unaware of the course of action to take.
Seeking Emergency Dental Help – What To Do
Visiting an emergency dentist quickly can help save the tooth and ensure a healthy recovery. If a person is suffering from dental trauma and has one or more teeth that have been knocked out, here is what they should do to help preserve structure:
- Save the knocked-out tooth or tooth parts. If a tooth has become fragmented as a result of an accident, it can be difficult to put it back in place. However, if at all possible, we recommend patients save all the tooth shards.
- Contact an emergency dentist as soon as you can or within an hour. While this may be difficult for many people, early dental treatment can make the difference between saving the tooth or losing it for good.
- Do not pull out a tooth that is hanging by its nerve.
- Avoid touching the tooth root or it can become infected or damaged. Hold it by the crown instead.
- Gently place an avulsed tooth in its socket and bite down on a piece of clean gauze to hold it in place until emergency treatment can be received
- Alternatively, place a knocked-out tooth in a container of milk or hold it in place against the cheek to keep the nerve alive and head straight to the dentist.
- Bleeding from the socket can occur as a result of dental trauma such as tooth avulsion. Placing a piece of gauze or cotton wool over the socket helps to absorb the blood before seeking professional dental care.
Treatment For Tooth Avulsion – What To Expect
If an individual has acted to preserve the tooth and sought immediate help, the dentist may be able to save the tooth. It might be possible to re-implant the avulsed tooth into the socket and regenerate tooth structure.
The sooner a person receives dental care, the more chance there is of a successful outcome with less extensive treatment.
When a person arrives for emergency dental care, the first step will be to take an x-ray to determine the level of damage. The avulsed tooth will be inserted into the socket and a dental splint may be used to hold it in place. The splint enables the tooth to realign with other tooth structures correctly. It also helps the avulsed tooth to grow back straight. While a person may find a dental splint uncomfortable, it helps to preserve the existing tooth structure.
For follow-up and management of tooth avulsion, an adult should seek an endodontist and a child should be taken to see a paediatric dentist.
What If My Avulsed Tooth Can’t Be Saved – What Then?
If treatment isn’t sought soon enough or an avulsed tooth can’t be saved, the missing tooth can cause a gap in the smile.
Although some people choose not to replace a missed tooth it may cause misaligned teeth which can affect the bite functionality. It can also make it harder to clean and floss teeth which, in turn, may lead to tooth decay and further tooth loss.
Dental treatments to replace missing teeth are aimed at restoring healthy oral function and enhancing a person’s appearance. At No Gaps Dental, patients can choose from a range of restorative treatments including:
- Dental implants
- Crowns
- Bridges
- Dentures
Accessing Treatment For Tooth Avulsion
You never know when you or a loved one may suffer from an avulsed tooth, so it’s important to know what course of action to take.
While we are not a 24-hour emergency dentist, we do our best to fit patients in for emergency dental treatment on the same day wherever possible. If your emergency is out of hours, you will be directed to an urgent dental care service.
For more information or one of our alternative services, please call us on (02) 8007 6727 and book online at the No Gaps Dental clinic of your choice.