Dental Trauma Management

Approximately 36% of the global population experiences trauma at least once before age 35. Traumatic dental injuries, if not managed, affect the oral cavity severely. Your face, head, and neck are all affected.

Dental injuries are at times overwhelming and can lead to severe trauma. It’s therefore essential to understand the concept of trauma management. Also, most of the adult population have a dental experience at least once in their lifetime. You should thus be able to know where you can get Trauma management in Houston.

Dental trauma management is a critical aspect of oral health that only experts can handle. Dental trauma happens to both primary and secondary teeth. Accidents, sports, and violence mainly cause it. Proper diagnosis and immediate response improve the outcome in the management of dental trauma. Delayed treatment can lead to devastating consequences because some conditions are not reversible once they occur. The procedures should be therefore fast and comprehensive.

Types of traumatic injuries

• Fracturing jawbones
• Soft tissue contusions
• Teeth fractures
• Abrasions
• Lacerations

What causes dental trauma?

Roughly 85% of all dental injuries are traumatic. Numerous factors cause dental injuries. Mostly, the injuries are unexpected and thus unavoidable. Some major causes of dental injuries include;

• Accidents such as personal, bicycle, skates, trampolines, motorcycle, vehicle, etc.
• Sports such as hockey, American football, rugby, netball, soccer, basketball, boxing, etc.
• Violence, e.g., when people fight in a bar.
• Animal attacks, e.g., bear attacks
• Periodontal disease

Symptoms of dental trauma

It’s crucial to know the several symptoms of dental trauma to seek treatment quickly. Most symptoms linked to dental trauma include;

• Bleeding gums
• Bleeding from the tooth socket
• Avulsions
• Pain in the oral cavity
• Sensitivity

Implications of dental trauma

Dental trauma is associated with a huge burden. First, you suffer financially due to the expense of dental trauma management. There are also related costs such as the fare to and from the hospital. Also, you suffer from reduced productivity. When your productivity declines, your ability to complete tasks, both at home and work, declines, leading to minimal income.

Lastly, you lose the quality of life.  Dental trauma is painful when untreated, leads to facial disfigurement, embarrassment, and orofacial dysfunction. When undergoing dental trauma treatment, you don’t have the freedom to engage in all activities, eat any diet at will or stay comfortably. You shudder at the mention of swallowing pills, especially when they come from the dentist.

Trauma management – First aid

If a Traumatic dental injury occurs, you should first conduct a first aid followed by a visit to the doctor in the shortest time possible. Any individual can administer first aid within the site of the injury.

First, you ascertain whether the patient has other injuries apart from dental ones—Wash blood from the face, mouth, nose, and lips. Once bleeding has stopped, conduct a comprehensive orofacial assessment. Check whether the head, face, and neck are injured too.

Any avulsed tooth should be rinsed with saline solution and replanted (secondary tooth only) during the first aid. When handling an avulsed tooth, avoid touching the roots. Only hold the crown. If you cannot replace the avulsed tooth, store it in saline solution or milk and seek dental help within 15 minutes. In case of complex tooth fractures, the patient should visit a dental office within 24 hours.

Dentist assessment and care

When a patient with dental trauma check-in a dental care provider, detailed questioning, documentation, and evaluation are done, the dentist further conducts intraoral and extraoral evaluation and documents the findings.

The specialist dentist conducts a percussion test using a finger and an instrument. Any teeth that feel soft might be injured. The dentist then takes radiographs, intraoral and extraoral pictures. They are all used in treatment.

The dentist decides on the treatment procedure. It might involve various techniques such as smoothening rough and chipped edges, replanting avulsed teeth, performing root canals, or cosmetic dentistry. If some teeth are dispositioned, they are repositioned with a flexible splint for 1 – 5 weeks.

The dentist also recommends antibiotics, and microbial mouth rinses use. There is a follow-up for post-assessment and determination of treatment progress.

Preventative measures

• Wearing protective gear when participating in high-risk sports
• Use of mouthguards, especially in risky sports

Conclusion

Although dental trauma is common among children, it’s also popular among adolescents. Trauma management in Houston can be challenging because only a few dental practices offer such services.

You can, however, visit Greenway Pediatric Dentistry for Trauma management in Houston, TX. They provide excellent solutions arising from teeth loss, pain, or orofacial injuries. Besides treatment, you get professional dental advice.