Broken Teeth: Dental Trauma & Emergency Care

Dental Trauma

Dental trauma refers to tooth damage from sudden impact.

We will do our best to save your teeth. This may involve re-insertion, a temporary brace to hold teeth in place, wires, and/or a soft foods diet. When tooth restoration is not possible, we will recommend the best alternative for replacing your missing teeth.

Of course, prevention is far preferable to trauma treatment, so we urge people to wear mouth guards when engaging in sports or activities where dental trauma is foreseeable.  We custom make mouth guards for the best possible protection and the most comfortable fit.

 

Emergency Care

I have set up a system for you so that you’re covered in a wide variety of situations including the descent of wisdom teeth, substantial pain or swelling, cracked or broken teeth, difficulty breathing or continuous bleeding.

If you’re having a dental emergency, call me immediately at 604 858 2800 during office hours.

After hours you can call the office for my emergency number.  If you can’t get a hold of me immediately, you can call my associates at the Chilliwack Dental Group at 604 702 7180 until 11pm.

After 11pm and on weekends, please call 9-1-1 or go to your nearest hospital emergency department.

A knocked-out permanent tooth is a dental emergency. Knocked-out teeth can be re-implanted in many cases. A permanent tooth that is re-implanted within 30 minutes has the highest chance of success.

Here’s what to do in case of dental trauma causing broken teeth:

 

1. Find the missing tooth or fragments

• Handle them with care.  The more intact they are the better the prospects for re-insertion.

• Never touch the broken surfaces.

• Only rinse the tooth or fragments if they are dirty.  Do so very gently, without scrubbing.

 

2. Re-insert or store the tooth

• Rinse out the mouth with warm water.

• For adult teeth, if possible, put it back into its socket and bite down on a gauze pad to hold the tooth in place.

• If you can’t put the adult tooth back in place, or for baby teeth or teeth fragments, put them in whole milk or between your cheek and gum to prevent drying.

 

3. Treat the Symptoms

• Use a gauze pad or a cloth to control any bleeding.

• Use an ice back to reduce pain and swelling.  You can get children to do the same thing by sucking on a popsicle.

• Take over-the-counter painkillers as necessary.

 

4. Get Help

• For missing or broken teeth, take whatever teeth or fragments you can find and get to a dentist or emergency room immediately.