Dental Trauma

While playing, running, or cycling, children may fall and sustain impacts to their face or teeth. Injuries may occur as a result of impact to the mouth, teeth and supporting tissues. As a result of trauma, tooth fractures, loosening, displacement and dislocation, injuries to dental support tissues, and fractures involving the jaws may occur. If a tooth is visibly broken or dislodged, it is important to seek urgent dental care. The broken or dislodged tooth should be rinsed with drinking water and placed in a glass of warm milk before seeing the dentist. If possible, the time between the injury and the patient seeing the dentist should ideally not exceed two hours. Early intervention is crucial in cases of emergency injuries as it significantly impacts the success of treatment. If deemed necessary by the dentist during the post-traumatic examination, dental X-rays can be taken. Radiography is particularly important for detecting damage that may not be visible to the naked eye, such as root fractures or jaw fractures. In cases of tooth fractures resulting from trauma, corrective measures can be taken with fixed orthodontic treatment techniques to restore both the morphological (normal shape of the tooth) and proper alignment aspects. In cases of minor injuries, orthodontic treatment can be initiated immediately. However, in cases of significant traumatic injuries, there may be a waiting period of 6-9 months before starting active orthodontic treatment.