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	Dr Minh Nguyen

	The Dental Team

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Slip Sliding Away

Don’t look now, but winter isn’t over; so don’t put away those gloves and boots quite yet. Some states get cold weather and some doozie snowstorms in February. There’s plenty of time to step out the front door, slip and slide down the sidewalk and land ker-plop in the middle of the driveway. Or perhaps you could fly like a magic carpet off a snow mogul and land head first in a snow bank. Or for those of you who are enjoying unseasonably warm weather this year, there’s nothing like a jog in the park, stopping by the water fountain for a refreshing slurp of cool water and bang your mouth on the fountain head. Ow, ow, and YEOW!

Just as there any number of ways to get injured, there are several traumas that can happen to your teeth. Studies show that children have a 30 percent incidence of tooth trauma. Primary teeth are most vulnerable to injuries when the child is 18–40 months old—walking age. School-age boys inflict the most damage on their teeth. Over the age of 5, males and females injure their teeth most often when they are involved in a vehicle accident.

Even the healthiest state has tooth injuries

You might live in Minnesota , chosen as the healthiest state in 2006*, according to the United Health Foundation, but tooth injuries ignore state boundaries. They don’t care how old you are, where you live or how wealthy you are.

To prevent an undesirable aftermath of an injury to your teeth or someone else’s teeth, it is good to have a game plan before an injury occurs. Advance preparation isn’t difficult; it is as simple as keeping a copy of your dentist’s after hours and daytime phone numbers in your wallet or handbag and placing a copy of those numbers by your phone.

Time is not on your side when a tooth injury happens, especially if the tooth is knocked completely out of its socket. It is important to get that person and the tooth to a dentist or emergency room within one hour of the injury; otherwise, the tooth may not be able to be saved.

There are several do’s and don’ts for different kinds of tooth injuries.

Tooth is chipped

Seek help immediately if the person is in pain or the tooth is sensitive to touch or air. The nerve could be damaged.

Tooth knocked out

Tooth avulsion Time is not on your side when a tooth injury happens, especially if the tooth is knocked completely out of its socket. It is important to get that person and the tooth to a dentist or emergency room within one hour of the injury; otherwise, the tooth may not be able to be saved.

Primary tooth—usually not placed back into the socket because it might damage the developing permanent tooth.
Permanent tooth—Do not touch the tooth root. The root has a ligament that can be easily damaged. Without a healthy ligament, the tooth can’t be replaced into the socket.If the tooth has dirt on it, rinse it off and gently try to reinsert it into the socket, and hold it in place.If the tooth won’t go into the socket, put the tooth in saliva or milk; don’t let the tooth dry out.Do not wrap a tooth in cloth or tissue.Immediately go to your dentist or to an emergency room for help.

Tooth is pushed out of place, but is still in the socket

Primary tooth—Put a cold wet cloth over the child’s mouth, and go to a dentist or emergency room. Give the child acetaminophen.

Permanent tooth—Rinse the mouth with cold water and put an ice pack over the person's mouth. Gently push the tooth back into position and hold it there. Give acetaminophen. Go to a dentist as soon as you can.

Tooth is broken

Primary tooth—Rinse the mouth with warm water and place an ice pack over the child’s mouth. Give acetaminophen.

Permanent tooth—Rinse the mouth with warm water and place an ice pack over the person's mouth. Give acetaminophen.

Emergency care is the same for following injuries—

Tooth is pushed up into the bone
Tooth was hit
Tooth root fracture
Dental bone fracture

Primary tooth—Rinse the mouth with cold water and place an ice pack over the child’s mouth. Give acetaminophen.

Permanent tooth—Rinse the mouth with cold water and place an ice pack over the person's mouth. Give acetaminophen.

If the tooth isn’t knocked out, chipped, or fractured, call your dentist for instructions and recommendations.

An ounce of prevention

Sport injury prevention Winter sports and activities can pose a threat to teeth. A good investment for children and adults is a mouthguard. Mouthguards are usually available in the sporting goods section in a department store as well as a sporting goods store. Mouthguards are an inexpensive way to prevent tooth injuries.

Also, be alert for situations where someone could trip or fall. In the home, keep toys and games off stairsteps, landings and floors, for example. If there are pre-walkers in the home, child-proof the home! If there is an adult in the home who is unsteady of foot, use handrails in areas where the person is more likely to be injured, such as a bathroom, tub or shower.

If a child or adult who can’t quite reach the fountainhead or is unsteady is attempting to drink from a water fountain, offer your assistance to prevent the person from accidentally jamming his or her mouth against the fountainhead. So often, a person is bumped from behind and sustains a tooth injury when the mouth comes in contact with the fountainhead.

It might sound silly, but just as the scene described above, lend a helping hand to a child or an unsteady adult who is eating with an eating utensil. Forks and spoons can easily chip a tooth.

Our teeth are so precious that we should do everything we can to preserve their health, be it protection from some pathological reason (such as decay or periodontal disease) or from an accident. While dentistry is doing absolutely amazing things with artificial teeth, there’s nothing that can replace and be the same as your own healthy teeth. Taking a few precautions and knowing what to do if a tooth injury does occur can last a lifetime—just like your beautiful teeth!