Treatment
Dental trauma care in Market Harborough
A fall, a sports injury or an accident can chip, crack, loosen or completely knock out a tooth. The right action in the first hour makes a real difference to whether the tooth survives, and careful follow-up over the following year protects the nerve inside it.
What to do straight away
- Knocked-out adult tooth. Hold it by the crown, not the root. If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or saline — do not scrub. Push it gently back into the socket and bite on a clean cloth, or keep it in milk, and get to a dentist within the hour. Every minute counts.
- Knocked-out baby tooth. Do not put it back; it can damage the adult tooth forming underneath. Have the child seen the same day.
- Chipped or broken tooth. Keep any fragment in milk; it can sometimes be bonded back on. Cover a sharp edge with sugar-free gum or wax.
- Loosened or pushed-out-of-position tooth. Do not try to push it back yourself. Eat soft food and arrange an appointment that day.
If there is a head injury, loss of consciousness or uncontrolled bleeding, go to A&E first.
How injured teeth are assessed
At the first visit we record how the injury happened, examine the teeth and the soft tissues, test the nerve response of each tooth in the area, check for mobility and take X-rays to look for root fractures and displacement. Loose teeth may be gently repositioned and splinted to the neighbouring teeth for a week or two with a flexible wire.
Why follow-up matters
The blood supply to a tooth enters through a tiny opening at the root tip, and an injury can stretch or sever it. The nerve may recover, or it may die slowly and silently over months, leading to infection or darkening of the tooth long after the accident has been forgotten. We review injured teeth at regular intervals — typically at a few weeks, three months, six months and a year — repeating nerve tests and X-rays so that root canal treatment can be started at the right moment if it becomes necessary.
Treatment that may be needed
- Root canal treatment when the pulp has died or become infected.
- Specialised procedures for young teeth whose roots are still forming, aimed at encouraging the root to complete.
- Treatment of root resorption, a process in which the body begins to dissolve the root after injury.
- Repair or crowning of fractured crowns, arranged with your own dentist.
Children and sport
Most dental injuries happen in children and young people, and a properly fitted mouthguard prevents the majority of sporting injuries. We work alongside your family dentist on the monitoring of injured teeth and are happy to see children for the endodontic aspects of their care.