Tooth injury: causes, symptoms and treatment methods

In dental practice, the treatment of patients with various injuries is a frequent occurrence. Medical assistance is also required for a bruised tooth. This is usually observed in children and adults with active games, sports or when moving. Timely help will restore the condition of the tooth, preventing the deterioration of its condition. The causes and treatment are described in the article.

What it is?

A tooth bruise is a mechanical closed tooth injury in which tissue integrity violations are invisible. There is a gap or tear in the alveolus or in the pulp tissue. With a bruised tooth, severe bleeding appears, probably a partial damage to the nerve bundle. The blood will have a dark shade, severe pain occurs.

Injury occurs due to an active lifestyle of children, due to incomplete formation of the motor apparatus. Although this should not lead to fears, you still need to go to the dentist. This will prevent the malocclusion of the bite or facial muscles, as well as violations in the functioning of the masticatory muscles. With the reversibility of the process, the dentist performs all medical procedures.

Causes

Tooth contusion usually occurs from:

• falls;
• fights;
• a strong blow when playing sports;
• poor-quality removal of a diseased tooth, which was on the other side;
• accident or traffic accidents.

These reasons are common. In any case, if an adult or a child has a bruised tooth, it is necessary to consult a dentist to prevent complications.

How is this manifested?

With a bruised tooth, the symptoms may be as follows:

1. There is bleeding, since there is a rupture of fibers and small vessels in the tissues.
2. Serious violations may not be. During the examination of the tooth after injury, damage is not always noticeable.
3. Rarely appears the mobility of the cutter.
4. Slight painful sensations are manifested when eating, biting solid food - apples, pears, nuts.
5. Gum edema appears.
6. There is a feeling that the tooth has become higher than the rest.
7. Usually bleeding is slight.
8. Blood may protrude from under the gums.
9. When the pulp is injured, hemorrhage from it is likely, due to which the enamel surface turns pink.
10. With severe bruising, pulp death is likely.
11. Cracks can be small, therefore it will only be possible to identify them with the dentist with special tools.
12. There may be aching pain.
13. Sensations of pain appear when tapping a bruised area.
14. The darkening of the crown is likely.
15. Redness of the gums appears in the area of ​​injury.

If a tooth staggers or any of these symptoms appear, then you should consult a doctor. Only a specialist is able to provide professional assistance, restoring the condition of the tooth.

Types of injuries

There is a classification of tooth injuries that differ depending on the causes and consequences. The following types are distinguished:

1. Acute and chronic. They are characterized by the duration of exposure to various factors that cause tooth decay.
2. Injuries to milk or permanent teeth (in the first case there will be a greater risk of dislocations, and in the second - fractures of crowns, roots).

If we take into account the completeness of the formation of the root system of the teeth, then the damage can be:

• during root growth;
• with an incompletely formed root apex;
• when fully formed.

According to the characteristics of injuries, there are injuries:

• without complications - quickly detected and easily eliminated;
• combined (include several forms: dislocation and fracture of the root or crown of the tooth; dislocation, fracture of the root / crown).

Any mechanical injury to the tooth causes inconvenience. Whatever the damage, first aid is required. If necessary, treatment is performed.

In addition to a bruise, there may also be a dislocation of the tooth, which suggests its displacement in the hole. This condition is of varying degrees, including before tooth loss from the alveoli. Usually pain is felt, bleeding of the gums is observed. Treatment involves restoring a tooth in its place under anesthesia, and then splinting. If the pulp is disturbed during a dislocation, it needs to be removed, and the canal is filled. With a complete dislocation, the tooth is re-implanted, and if this procedure is not possible, prosthetics are required.

Cracks are referred to tooth injuries. They come in enamel, can reach the enamel-dentin border, can pass through the dentin and reach the pulp. A crack cannot always be detected with the naked eye, but it is detected by magnifying and fiber optic devices. If the crack reaches the root, then the tooth must be removed.

The number of injuries includes a fracture of the tooth, which leads to its complete loss. It will be easier to restore a tooth with a fracture of the crown. But if the tooth is milky, then grinding of sharp edges, polishing and coating with florak are required. With the fracture of the crown of a permanent tooth, its restoration is likely. Now there are many non-toxic materials that allow you to restore the destroyed crowns of permanent teeth. Therefore, sometimes prosthetics and orthodontic treatment are not necessary.

Features of injury in children

In a child, damage to a baby tooth can lead to sad consequences. This is due to the fact that his teeth system is not fully formed. The only advantage is that the injuries in this case are independent in nature, and this does not damage the rest of the front parts.

Treatment of bruises in children is more difficult because they are not patient and more sensitive. The most common injury is bruised front teeth. In this case, several teeth may be lost, which leads to serious aesthetic disorders. If timely treatment measures are not taken, then there is a risk of inflammation. This stops the formation of a system of permanent teeth and is the reason for the decrease in the functioning of the jaw structures.

Diagnostics

A staggering or aching tooth is treated depending on the level of injury. To prevent serious complications, destruction of the incisor and tissues, the doctor performs the following measures:

1. With a aching tooth, an anesthetic is administered before the examination.
2. When a visual inspection is performed, an X-ray examination is required. To identify complications and get complete information, you should familiarize yourself with the picture.
3. To obtain a three-dimensional image, conduct computed tomography.
4. Electroodontodiagnosis can be carried out, which will help to identify the condition of the pulp in the patient. This requires the action of an electric current on the nerve bundles to check their excitability. To compare, perform a test of a sick and healthy tooth.
5. A doctor may be prescribed transillumination. A beam of light passes through an injured cutter, due to which a shadow is reflected. If there are even minor microcracks in the stream of light, it will be easier to see them.

Such procedures appear if the tooth is loose or there is severe pain. Diagnostic procedures allow you to determine the method of further treatment.

Treatment

Mandatory treatment of a bruised tooth is required:

1. If a bruise is detected, then a slight load on the cutter is necessary. For 3-4 weeks, do not chew on the painful side of the food, it is better to exclude the use of solid foods.
2. The diet should be liquid or ground food.
3. Your doctor may prescribe a cap.
4. Can be splinted. This removes the load during meals and redistributes it to the remaining areas of the oral cavity.
5. When the pulp dies, an opening of the bruised area and its removal are performed.
6. Root canal filling is performed.
7. Establish a permanent seal.
8. When crowns are darkened, they are bleached.
9. When bruised milk teeth, the cutting edge is polished.
10. Pain medications may be prescribed: Ketorolac, Nimesulide, Ibuprofen.
11. Gum treatment is carried out using special gels: "Kamisada", "Dentonol".
12. For soft tissue swelling, compresses moistened with cold water or with ice are used. Keep them on the cheek at the site of injury for at least 15 minutes.
13. It is used during tissue injury magnetic laser therapy. Treatment includes 10 treatments.
14. To quickly restore tissue cells, use UHF therapy.
15. With minor damage, recovery is carried out without the help of a doctor after 3-4 weeks.

Probable complications

Whatever the degree of injury, the prognosis of tooth preservation is positive. The victim needs to see a doctor faster. Without timely treatment, complications are likely:

1. With hemorrhage in the pulp, the root may be stained in pink, which eventually turns brown. Gradually, enamel fading, the death of a bruised tooth.
2. If there was no timely treatment for pulp rupture, then periodontitis is likely to develop.
3. Tissue inflammation occurs.
4. There is a big risk of pulpitis.
5. In the advanced course of the disease in the mouth, a purulent infection appears.
6. Probably blood poisoning.
7. There is a risk of tooth loss.
8. In case of injury to primary teeth, the formation of permanent incisors is impaired.

Prevention

To prevent tooth trauma, preventive measures allow:

1. At the workplace, it is important that all safety measures established by the rules are followed.
2. Children should have a special place for games to minimize falls and injuries.
3. It is important to monitor children during outdoor games with sports equipment.
4. During extreme games and sports, all necessary protective equipment must be used.
5. When driving in transport, you must follow the rules of the road.
6. It is required to use seat belts.
7. You need to choose those sports and playgrounds where there is special equipment and high-quality fastening, which reduces the risk of injury.

Output

After a tooth injury, immediately apply cold. On the same day, if possible, visit the dentist. Please note that even with minor injury, complications may occur.