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Sports and Accidental Injuries

Oh oh my tooth is Out!

So you’ve knocked out a permanent adult tooth…

Time is of the essence.  The tooth may be good enough to re-implant.  But it should be re-implanted as soon as possible.  Assuming the tooth is still in one piece, you’ll want to keep it moist in order to place it back in the socket.  It is important to NOT handle it by the root. An easy thing to do is to place the tooth between the cheek and gums.  If this option feels uncomfortable to you, you can always keep your tooth viable in a glass of milk.  Now that the tooth is protected, get to the dentist as soon as possible!  Good chance that it can be put back.

Cracked Up !

You’ve cracked your tooth!  The first thing you would do is rinse your mouth with warm water immediately.  If you had an injury to the face, you might also want to keep your face from swelling with a cold compress as you head to your dentist. Depending on the fracture, bring the piece to the doctor.  It may be useful.

Biting Off More Than You Can Chew!

When you bite your tongue or lip it’s annoying but it will heal on it’s own.  However, if you bite through your tongue or lip, causing quite a gouge in your flesh, gently cleanse the area with water and apply a cold compress. Go straight to your dentist or emergency room.

Broken Jaw?

It is never a good thing to have  a broken jaw, but that can happen.   The very first thing to do is to get a cold compress in the area that is broken  and the as quickly as possible, go straight  to a hospital emergency room for treatment

Avoiding the problem

These are just a few basics in dealing with the most common of dental emergencies.  How about avoid having to deal with them in the first place?

  1. Always wear a mouthguard when playing sports or recreational activities.
  2. Do not chew ice, hard candy or hard popcorn kernels. It might taste good and feel fun but do you want to see the dentist between your check ups?
  3. Use scissors,  bottle openers, knives for their appropriate activities … NOT YOUR TEETH. Teeth are built to chew and cut food only.

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