Summertime is a wonderful time for the family to get out and about in New Braunfels. From tubing the Comal and Guadalupe rivers to hanging out at Landa Park, there’s no shortage of fun activities to enjoy. But summer fun can also mean an increase in dental injuries. With more kids and adults participating in high impact sports like basketball, bicycling, roller skating, water polo, trampolines and bounce houses, the risk of a dental injury increases significantly. Read on to learn how to stay safer this summer, and what to do if an oral injury does happen.
Did you know that sports-related dental injuries account for 40% of all dental injuries in the United States? A recent survey found that football, basketball, and bicycling were the most common activities that cause dental injuries in children. The most common dental injuries in sports include tooth (crown) fractures; tooth intrusion, extrusion, and avulsion; and jaw dislocation.
Preventing Dental Injuries
Obviously, accidents happen, but there are ways to minimize your risk of dental injury. Avoid overcrowding activity areas like bounce houses, trampolines, swimming pools and playgrounds. Too many kids in close proximity can easily lead to dental injuries from a wayward elbow or knee. Wearing a mouthguard while playing high contact sports is the easiest and most effective way to avoid losing or fracturing a tooth. The ADA estimates that faceguards and mouth guards prevent approximately 200,000 injuries each year. Properly fitted mouth guards help prevent most injuries and do not significantly affect ventilation or speech. Mouthguards should be worn at all times during any type of organized contact team sports or non-organized contact sports in neighborhoods, parks, etc. The ADA recommends wearing custom mouthguards for the following sports: acrobatics, basketball, boxing, field hockey, football, gymnastics, handball, ice hockey, lacrosse, martial arts, racquetball, roller hockey, rugby, shot putting, skateboarding, skiing, skydiving, soccer, squash, surfing, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, wrestling.
What Should I Do if a Tooth is Knocked Out?
Never re-implant a primary tooth. Doing so can disrupt the bud of the permanent tooth behind it.
Keep the person calm. Many times the shock of the accident or seeing the tooth can cause them to panic.
Always pick a tooth up by the crown (chewing side), never the root. Doing so can damage the nerve.
Attempt to rinse with water, milk, saliva, or saline (if the tooth is dirty) – again never touch the root.
Re-implantation of the tooth by a dentist. This is considered to be the most important factor in determining successful outcomes for tooth avulsions. Re-implantation involves putting the tooth back in the socket, if possible. Dentists also agree that 30 seconds to 5 minutes is the optimal time for this to occur. The longer this takes, the higher the risk of cell death. Once the tooth is implanted, get to the dentist ASAP for further evaluation.
To prevent infection, do not re-implant a dirty tooth into its socket.
Control the bleeding. Avulsions are usually accompanied with facial or mouth trauma that may also have severe bleeding. Use light pressure and cold compresses to stop the bleeding before re-implanting the tooth. Do not disrupt clot if formed in a socket.
If the person is unconscious or has a concussion, try to save the tooth in one of the above-mentioned means of transport, and get to hospital as quickly as possible. Rule out any type of severe concussion or head injury before worrying about the tooth.
Never place the avulsed tooth in an unconscious person - they could aspirate or choke on it.
Always call 9-1-1 for serious injuries, especially head injuries or concussions. If you are experiencing a dental emergency, give us a call at (830) 629-8011 as soon as possible. We will do our best to see you as quickly as we can. From all of us at Smile New Braunfels, have a safe summer!
