When we think about sports injuries, we commonly think about bodily injuries. But dental injuries are quite common in sports, especially if you play a contact sport. In this blog post, we’ll review some of the most common sports-related dental injuries and how you can protect your smile with the help of our services at Farmington Dental & Orthodontics.
Broken, Cracked & Knocked-Out Teeth
Trauma to the face puts an athlete at risk of sustaining broken, cracked, and knocked-out teeth.
A knocked-out tooth is a dental emergency that requires immediate attention! If you experience a knocked-out tooth, try to preserve your tooth in a glass of milk if at all possible and call us right away. We may be able to reattach your natural tooth if you get to our office soon after the injury.
A cracked or chipped tooth is less urgent than a knocked-out tooth. Sometimes a tooth only has superficial cracks that go across the tooth’s surface, which are known as “craze lines.” Other cracks extend downwards toward the roots of the teeth. Either way, we want to take a look at it. Warning signs of a cracked tooth include:
- Pain when you bite down
- Toothaches that come and go
- Loss of tooth enamel
Cracked teeth aren’t always visible and obvious. You may not even remember a specific mechanism of injury that could have caused a crack. By keeping up with your twice-yearly dental appointments, we can examine your teeth for any cracks, chips, or breaks.
Root Fractures
A root fracture is a crack that starts at the root of the tooth and makes its way upward. These typically present themselves through an infection, which can be remedied with root canal therapy.
Tooth Intrusion
Tooth intrusion is when a tooth is knocked into the jawbone. This can happen to younger athletes who still have their baby teeth as well as children, teenagers, and adults with their permanent teeth.
Some of the outcomes of tooth intrusion include:
- Necrosis, or death of tooth
- Shortening of tooth roots
- Fusion of root of tooth to alveolar bone (the bone that holds the tooth sockets)
How to Protect Teeth During Sports
At Farmington Dental & Orthodontics, we can create custom sports mouthguards right in our office to help protect your teeth when playing sports. A custom mouthguard is far superior than a store-bought mouthguard because its custom shape fits perfectly over your teeth. This offers optimal protection and maximum comfort.
Our custom mouthguards are affordable thanks to our variety of payment options! So if you’re looking for a way to keep your smile protected, contact us today to schedule your custom mouthguard consultation!
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