Knocked out teeth

 

Due to sporting lifestyles, there is a high risk chance of injuries to the teeth occurring including everyday trauma instances. Wearing a mouthguard can limit the extent of the injury to the teeth.

The most important thing to do, is to get the tooth into the socket as quickly as possible. This increases its success rate.

 

1. Remain calm

2.  Clean tooth in milk or saline. Do not scrub

3. Do not touch root surface, put back into the socket

4. If you cannot put it in the socket, put it in cold milk and SEE A DENTIST IMMEDIATELY

5. It will then be splinted to adjacent teeth by the dentist and monitored regularly for symptoms and x rays will need to be taken

 

Toothaches

 

Toothaches are normally worse at night. Please book an appointment with our dentist to determine the problem.

 

There are different remedies you can use in the meantime, such as hot packs, cold packs, salt water mouth rinses. You can try and see which works for you whilst you are waiting to see us.

 

Do not leave the problem till later as the treatment may become more expensive and more complex. The first signs that you feel that something does not feel right, feel free to contact us.

 

But seek your dentist as soon as possible to deal with the problem.

Dental sensitivity

 

When experiencing sensitivity, where eating food and drinks are not pleasurable and it can elicit a sharp, shooting pain to the nerve endings of the teeth.

The sensitivity can be managed through appropiate preventative hygiene and the treatment would depend on the cause, which you can ask your dentist about.

 

Causes of sensitivity:

 

a. Caries: Decay can occur through the enamel and dentine (second layer of the tooth that contains majority of the nerve fibres). And if it continues, it can lead to more than just sensitivity to a constant ache

 

b. Tartar: This is when the plaque hardens by the saliva and hardens to the root surface which irritates the gum causing gingivitis and this can progress to periodontitis which leads to gum recession (gum pulls away from the tooth). This leads to the root being exposed and hence the dentine exposed which can lead to the sensitivity.

 

c. Toothbrush abrasion: Poor brushing technique can lead to exposure of root surface

 

d. Grinding/clenching: Wearing of the teeth can lead to exposed dentine

 

e. Cracked teeth: please see Services