Dr. Dimovski SAYS!
Summer is everyones favourite time, most of all kids. Throughout vacations, day trips and even enjoying a day at home, playing soccer, basketball, water sports, climbing and swinging on playgrounds and doing flips on trampolines become part of the everyday activities for children. However, with all these activities there is increased risk of injuries. At our office, we often see patients with fractured teeth, lacerated lips and even avulsed (knocked out) teeth and how quickly and effectively we deal with these accidents can greatly affect the outcome of the treatment and healing process.
Below is a guide of how to deal with summer's dental/oral accidents.
Below is a guide of how to deal with summer's dental/oral accidents.
1. First and foremost, with any trauma to the head, assessment must be made to rule out a possible concussion. If there are any signs of concussion a visit to the hospital is a must.
2. If a tooth has been avulsed (popped out of the mouth), first it should be assessed if it is a baby or an adult tooth. A primary tooth (baby tooth), that was most likely loose does not require replacement in the mouth. The mouth should be cleaned/rinsed well and the bleeding should be stopped by biting on clean gauze. If however the tooth is a permanent one (adult tooth), the sooner one acts the better the chances of saving the tooth. The tooth should be cleaned and, if possible, placed back into the socket. The tooth should only be handled by the enamel and the root should not be touched. If there is debris on the tooth, it should be rinsed with clean water and placed in milk or inside of the cheek. The moister a tooth is the better and the sooner a dentist is seen, the greater the chances of replanting and saving the tooth.
3. Sometimes the trauma causes a piece of tooth to fracture off. Once the piece is located it should be placed in milk and brought to your dentist. In some cases a fractured piece can be glued to the original tooth structure. If that is not possible, the dentist can rebuild the tooth.
4. If the tooth looks pushed in or feels loose, call you dental office right away.
5 . More frequently the lips and the gums get injured/cut and bleed. Gently cleaning the area with water will help decrease infection. Placing a cold compress will help to minimize the swelling. Occasionally trauma to the lips will require suturing (stitches). If the bleeding does not stop after a few minutes or the cut looks deep you might have to go to the nearest hospital. Expect a lot of swelling. The mouth is highly vascular and swelling occurs often in lip trauma, but precisely due to that reason, the mouth is one of the fasted healing part of our body.
Wishing everyone a fun, safe and an accident free summer. If you have any questions or concerns please call us and we will be glad to help in any way we can.
