Staying active is great 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. The good news is that there are steps you can take, like wearing a mouthguard, to avoid dental injuries. Read on to learn more about the most common dental injuries that affect athletes.
Fractured Teeth
This happens most often when an athlete gets 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, including infections of the teeth. Here are the most common symptoms of a 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 obvious. In some instances, your dentist might need to perform root canal treatment or an 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 occurs when the crack of the root travels in the direction of the chewing surface. Since this 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 place0 aren’t as strong. However, this can happen to adults as well. This injury can cause many issues, including the destruction of the tooth pulp, 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 when they aren’t addressed right away, so you should see your dentist if you suspect that you might have a dental injury. Wearing a mouthguard is a great way to prevent injuries before they occur so you can keep your head in the game without worrying about harming your smile!
About the Practice
At LIC Dental Associates, we have a team of skilled dentists serving patients in the Long Island City 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 our website or call (718) 280-3286.