Oral Health Care Zone

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Oral structure or teeth may be damaged due to an accident. Very often, the front teeth get traumatized. After the impact, there might not be any apparent damage to the teeth, or they might be slightly loose, dislocated, fractured, or even avulsed (the entire tooth knocked off). The chances for the injured oral structure to be healed and the damaged teeth to be saved often depend on whether treatment is done correctly and timely.

A. Oral structure injury

Injury of oral tissues or oral structures such as lips, gingivae, oral mucosa, alveolar bone, or even upper or lower jawbones may be resulted.

Treatment
Bleeding can be stopped by pressing on the injured area using a piece of gauze or towel, and a dentist should be consulted immediately.

B. Trauma to Teeth

After a tooth is traumatized, the following situations can occur ：

No apparent damage to the tooth
The tooth becomes loose
Crown fracture
Root fracture
Tooth dislocation
Intrusion of the tooth
Avulsion of the tooth (the entire tooth being knocked off)

Management after injury ：

Go for a detailed check-up at the dental clinic immediately after the injury. The dentist will give the following treatment according to the situation: smoothen sharp edges of the fractured tooth and apply topical fluoride, filling, pulp(Endodontic) treatment , crown, extraction or denture.
Although there might not be any apparent damage to the teeth after the injury, pulp necrosis may occur. Even if the tooth is vital right after the injury, it is possible that necrosis can happen within 5 years. Therefore, it is necessary to have follow-up reviews regularly as advised by the dentist.
If the crown of tooth has been fractured, you should try your best to find and pick up the fractured portion of the tooth and go to a dentist immediately. If the whole permanent tooth has been knocked off after the injury, you should keep calm and take the following actions:
- Pick up the knocked-off tooth. Holding the crown without touching the root
- Use half a glass of plain water or milk to gently rinse off the dirt at the surface of tooth. Do not wash or scrub the root of tooth to avoid damaging the soft tissues around the root.
- Use the adjacent teeth as a reference, put the tooth back into the socket and gently bite your teeth to hold the tooth in place. The sooner the tooth is put pack, the greater the chance of it being preserved.
- If there is any difficulty in inserting the tooth into the socket, immerse the tooth in a container filled with either milk or saliva of the injured person.
- Seek treatment from dentist immediately

You should seek help immediately after oral structure or tooth injury because the sooner the treatment is received, the greater the chance of preserving the teeth. Afterwards, the replanted tooth should be reviewed by the dentist regularly to ensure the success of the treatment.