What to Do with a Broken Tooth

HJ

We are busy at the ball field and pool during the summer months. What should I do if my child suffers a dental trauma that results in a broken tooth?

Dental trauma is one of the most common results of head and neck injuries, and increases with summer activities. Close to 30 percent of preschool children suffer from a dental injury with their baby teeth, and almost 20 percent of adolescents and young adults have trauma to their permanent teeth. If the tooth is chipped or slightly broken with no blood coming from the center part of the tooth, you can go to your dentist to get an X-ray and repair the missing tooth structure. If the tooth breaks and there is blood exposed, you need to see your dentist as soon as possible.

When the tooth is avulsed (knocked out) it is important to find the tooth! If it is found quickly, you should wash, not scrub, with water or milk. If you feel comfortable, put it back in the socket in the correct orientation, putting pressure there. If you do not feel comfortable, then keep it moist in milk or even in your own saliva. You should see your dentist immediately.

Because prevention is the best medicine, using a sports guard for any risky activity will decrease your chances of a problem.

Stacey Sparkman Hall, D.D.S.: Dr. Stacey Hall brings her unique outlook on dental care and her personable optimism to the Williamsburg Center for Dental Health. With nine years of solid dental expertise as a dentist in Williamsburg, she decided in early 2011 to branch out and open her own local practice. After completing her undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech in 1998, Dr. Hall graduated from VCU’s MCV School of Dentistry in 2002, receiving her D.D.S. She is a member of the Academy of General Dentistry, the American Dental Association, and was awarded member fellowship to the International Congress of Oral Implantology in 2008. She leads the elite Tidewater Dawson Study Club and is a scholar with the interntaionally renowned Dawson Academy. As a Dawson ambassador, Dr. Hall also assists in the training of students in the Dawson Academy. Stacey and her husband Michael have been blessed with three beautiful girls, Lanie, Gracie and Abbie. She is a loyal Virginia Tech Football fan, and enjoys Bible study and missions work.