Dental Emergency

It’s no secret that contact sports can result in injuries including those to the mouth. Recently a NBA player received an injury that left his tooth on the court. Dennis Schroder went on to the play the game. The question is what should you do if you lose a tooth? Here at Carolina Dentistry @ The StateLine we have seen our share of patients who have encountered dental emergencies. First be careful to not swallow the tooth. You may place the tooth back in place or in cup of milk and immediately contact your dental provider. We suggest not scraping or cleaning the tooth. Try to handle the tooth only on the biting or chewing surface to avoid touching the root or roots of the tooth. You may be very sensitive in this area as well. Apply an ice compress on and off rotating every 20 minutes. Sometimes the tooth is salvageable other times it is not. The sooner you are able to be seen by your dental provider the better. You may need additional care such as sutures or stitches. You also want to avoid a dental infection. Dental infections are serious and should be treated by a qualified dental provider. Although this athlete placed his tooth in his sock and went on with the game, we find your sock not the best choice. The use of an appropriate mouth guard always helps to eliminate dental emergencies! Do you love to play contact sports? If you answered yes, protect your teeth with an appropriate mouth guard.