Staying active is important for both your physical and mental health. However, when you are participating in sports, particularly contact sports, you are more likely to experience a dental emergency than those who don’t Fortunately, there are steps you can take, like wearing a mouthguard, to avoid dental injuries. Continue reading to learn more about the most common dental injuries that affect athletes.
Fractured Teeth
This happens most often when an athlete receives a blow to the face. A fractured tooth involves a crack or split that begins at the crown and extends downward. Cracked teeth can vary significantly in severity and require dental treatment to prevent long-term issues, like infections of the teeth. Here are some of the most common symptoms of the fractured tooth.
- Sharp pain when biting down
- Pain that comes and goes
- Increased sensitivity when drinking hot and cold beverages
- Loss of enamel
This type of injury isn’t always very obvious. In some cases, your dentist may need to perform root canal treatment or a tooth extraction to prevent future bacterial infections.
Root Fractures
It is also possible to break the root of your tooth. If you receive a blow to the face at the wrong angle, the root can fracture. This happens when the crack of the root travels in the direction of the chewing surface. Since the type of injury is so difficult to see with the naked eye, you might not even notice that it has happened until you develop an infection and feel pain. When this issue is addressed early on, it is often possible to save the tooth with root canal treatment.
Tooth Intrusion
In this situation, a tooth is driven back into the jawbone. This is more common for kids who still have their baby teeth because a child’s alveolar bones (which hold the teeth in place) aren’t as strong. However, this can happen to adults too. This injury can cause many problems, including the destruction of the pulp of the root, root resorption, and ankylosis. This is when the root of the tooth fuses to the alveolar bone.
Any of these issues can cause long-term oral health issues wen they aren’t addressed right away, so you should see your dentist if you suspect that you may have a dental injury. Wearing a mouthguard is a great way to prevent injuries before they occur so you can enjoy playing sports without worrying about harming your smile.
About the Practice
At Plexus Dental of Plano, Dr. Arpan Patel, Dr. Niki Jayswal, and Dr. Ann Han work together to treat patients in the Plano area. With their combined experience and expertise, patients can get pretty much anything they need under one roof. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit their website or call (469) 241-0350.