Why See an Endodontist for Dental Trauma

When you have a tooth injury, you might worry about losing the affected tooth permanently and needing to have it replaced. While these injuries can be severe, such as having a tooth knocked out or fractured, seeing an endodontist can help you save your tooth. Endodontists are able to perform root canals to save teeth that have been affected by dental trauma. Find out more about why you should schedule a visit with an endodontist for tooth injuries.

 

Chipped or Fractured Teeth

You can easily chip or fracture a tooth, such as from falling, playing sports or even biting down on hard food or a hard object. While minor tooth chips or fractures might not cause much of a problem overall, bigger chips or fractures can lead to more severe damage. Larger chipped areas and fractures could put your tooth at risk of becoming infected. You might also have trouble with chewing and talking if the damage is severe enough.

 

Endodontists can do a root canal to save badly chipped or fractured teeth in some cases. This procedure involves removing damaged or infected pulp from inside your tooth, cleaning it out and sealing it up to prevent additional damage. Fractured cusps and incomplete crown fractures are examples of dental trauma that can be treated with a root canal. Certain kinds of injuries, such as a split tooth or complete crown fractures, might require a different form of treatment.

 

Dislodged Teeth

Mouth injuries can result in dislodged teeth, which happens when teeth are moved out of their normal position. You might have a dislodged tooth that is partially or fully pushed out of position due to an injury. When this happens, your tooth can become infected. You’ll need to have your tooth put back in the correct position and stabilized to prevent infections and restore its full functionality.

 

Endodontists can reposition a dislodged tooth and make sure it’s stabilized. This might involve having root canal treatment done, which includes having medication placed in the affected tooth to help it heal. You might also need to have a permanent filling placed in the tooth afterwards. If you have a partially dislodged tooth, you might only need to have it repositioned and stabilized as long as the pulp inside it is healthy. Damaged or infected pulp will require root canal treatment to ensure proper healing.

 

Knocked Out Teeth

Sports injuries, falls and other kinds of injuries can result in having a tooth completely knocked out of your mouth. When this happens, you should try to save your tooth so that an endodontist can put it back in place. This allows you to keep your natural tooth rather than needing to have it replaced with an artificial one. You should place your tooth in a glass of milk or water with a pinch of salt to keep it moist, and bring it with you to the endodontist’s office.

 

Endodontists can perform a root canal in some cases when a tooth is knocked out. This type of treatment might depend on how long your tooth has been knocked out and whether or not you were able to keep it moist. A root canal involves having the tooth placed back in the socket while also making sure the root is healthy.

 

Root Fractures

Root fractures can occur when the root of a tooth becomes severely damaged. These fractures can develop horizontally or vertically. You might not even be aware that you have a root fracture, especially if you do not have routine dental exams and cleanings done. However, you might experience problems associated with root fractures over time that prompt you to seek treatment, such as tooth pain.

 

Endodontists might need to do endodontic surgery for a tooth that has a root fracture. Depending on the condition of the tooth, you might need to have it extracted. If you suspect you have a root fracture, it’s important to have an endodontist check your tooth and recommend the most appropriate treatment option.

 

If you need treatment for dental trauma, please contact Largo Endodontics as soon as possible. Dr. Ernest Rillman, our Board-certified endodontist, can evaluate your injury to determine if a root canal is the right treatment option.