If you have ever had a tooth knocked out, chipped or cracked, when playing sporting activity you will know that it’s no laughing matter. Dental traumas resulting from sporting injuries can be particularly nasty and can end up in months and years of uncomfortable dental repair and surgery, not to mention the aesthetic and financial impact.

Nearly half of all dental injuries occur when playing sports and nearly all of those could be avoided with the necessary dental protection. In most cases this would involve wearing a mouth guard prepared for your teeth by a dentist. Although mouth guards are available in most sporting goods shops, they are often of inferior quality and because they are not specifically designed for your mouth they can be ill fitting, rendering them useless.

As with most things involving dental problems, prevention is far superior to cure. Wearing a mouth guard may be slightly uncomfortable and slightly irritating (especially an ill-fitting one), but if it saves your teeth it is more than worth the nuisance. A knocked out tooth may not be replaceable, and could mean costly and unpleasant dental implants or even a dental bridge. Cracked or chipped teeth could involve dental bonding or a porcelain crown. While these repair methods are effective they are expensive and will need replacing regularly for the rest of your life.

For a few pounds you could remove the possibility of a lifetime of unnecessary and unpleasant visits to the dentist. A City of London dentist will be able to fit a protective mouth guard for use during any physical sport. For children the mouth guard will need to be refitted regularly to compensate fro growth.

Knocked out, chipped or cracked teeth can be very hard to repair and excruciatingly painful. It may need several visits to the dentist and further cosmetic procedures over several years to repair the broken tooth. Dental injuries such as these can cause other long-term psychological and physiological problems to the sufferer, which can lead to a lifetime of health problems. Nearly half of dental injuries occur while playing sports, especially high physical risk sports like rugby and skiing.

As well as being physically damaging, treatments for dental injuries can be very costly and need regular maintenance. Dentists will usually be able to repair most of the damage but there is a cheaper alternative. To avoid suffering from a dental injury dentists recommend using a mouth guard to protect your teeth when playing any physical sports or high-risk activities.

Mouth guards are widely commercially available in most sports shops. These guards will offer a degree of protection but they are often ill fitting and don’t allow for the individual structure if teeth. City of London dentists recommend having a mouth guard fitted specifically for your teeth. Dentists will be able to take a mold of your teeth and construct a mouth guard that can offer the maximum degree of protection.
For children it is important to remember that mouth guards will need to changed regularly to accommodate for growth.

When it comes to dental injuries, the importance of prevention over cure can not be overestimated. A few minutes and pounds spent having a mouth guard professionally fitted could save thousands of pounds and a lifetime of cosmetic dental surgery. When you look at it like that a mouth guard really is the only sensible option.

If you have a knocked out tooth, you will need to get to a dentist as quickly as possible. As may be expected, there are some things that you can do in order to increase the likelihood that the tooth can be saved. This includes making sure that you understand what you will need to do before you arrive at the dentist office.

Interestingly enough, your London dentist is likely to tell you not to clean the tooth. While you may think of a tooth as a solid object, it is more of a hard shell. In addition, the tip of each root has a hole in it that acts as a conduit for blood vessels and nerves. When a tooth is knocked out, these vital connections are damaged. In most cases, your dentist will know how to clean the tooth properly in order to preserve as much connective tissue as possible.

Even though you can obtain a kit for knocked out teeth, it may be best to simply place it back in the original socket. Your dentist will take some extra time to clean any debris from that area. Depending on the situation, you may also need an antibiotic in order to ensure you do not develop an infection. Typically, even if the bone heals around the tooth, it may absorb the roots. As a result, the tooth may fall out at some point.

There is no question that having a tooth knocked out can be extremely traumatic. In many cases, if you take some simple precautions after the tooth is knocked out, your dentist should be able to restore it. Unfortunately, there will be times when it is not possible to save a tooth. Nevertheless, you should try to see if your dentist will be successful.

When a child has a tooth knocked out, it is very traumatic to both the child and the parents. Usually, when this happens with a primary tooth, and does not require replacement. If it is an adult tooth, the quicker it is replaced back into the mouth, the better the odds for its survival. Thirty minutes seems to be the time limit that a tooth can be out of the mouth and survive if replaced properly. Watch the clock and follow the directions below.

If you are present when your child loses a tooth, place some tissue in their mouth and apply pressure or have them bite down on the tissue. Make sure that you have the tooth with you, and see if it’s a primary tooth or an adult tooth. Immediately call and/or go to your London Dental Clinic. If away from London, go to the local emergency room. Do not wrap the tooth in tissue or touch the tooth’s root. Put the tooth between your teeth and cheek right away, or a small container with milk or salt water. Water from the faucet should be your last resort as it contains too much chlorine (this can harm the root of the tooth). If at all possible, try to replace the tooth into the socket, but make sure that the front side of the tooth is situated toward the front of the mouth. Do this if you can convey to the child that the tooth is to be held in place and not swallowed. Keep your London dentists telephone number on hand at all time, and go see them within 30 minutes if at all possible, but make sure that you go see them. Your London dentist will replace the tooth and splint it into place, and give you the prognosis for the tooth’s survival. If your child plays sports, it is crucial to have them fitted for a mouth guard, and to make sure that they use it. This can also be performed at your London dentist.

Medics rushing out with accident victims bleeding from their mouth and knocked out teeth is a common scene at London playgrounds and schools, and we can see similar pictures in popular English sports channels also. We can generally prevent such accidents by using a mouth guard. Mouth guard is a custom-made cover made of rubber, which protect your teeth and gums from damage.  You can consult your local dentist and he will be happy to provide you with one. It is important that you wear a mouth guard when you participate in sports activities, especially contact sports. The medical term for knocked out tooth is “avulsed” tooth. This is a medical emergency, where the victim suffers from  pain of avulsion and the mental agony arising out of losing of teeth. Our general perception is that once a tooth is knocked out it can never be saved; but that is wrong. If we can preserve the knocked out tooth and reimplant it within 60 minutes, the chances of saving it for life is great. For this, we should be aware of the do’s and don’ts about preservation of the knocked out tooth. You should pick up the tooth by the crown only and NEVER touch the root and if possible, place it back in its socket itself. Alternatively, we can keep it in between the gums and cheek.  If the tooth is dirty, wash it gently in running water or milk. Never scrub or wash it with disinfectant, which can damage the tooth. . If immediate reimplantation is impossible, we can preserve it in milk, saliva, or in saline solution. A kit is available in London pharmacies, i.e. H.B.S.S (Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution), which is similar to saliva. It is very important that the tooth should not be allowed to dry out. Drying of the tissues drastically reduces the success of reimplantation. The tooth should not be stored in water, as it damages the cells on the surface. As this is a very common incident in schools and sports centres in London, it is of prime importance that all parents, school authorities, and coaches should be given training in first aid and proper preservation of teeth. We should take special note that if the person has head injury or shows any signs of unconsciousness, vomiting, or difficulty in breathing, never attempt to put the tooth in his/her mouth. There is no need to preserve a milk tooth as this may damage the formation of permanent tooth bud. The most important thing in saving an avulsed tooth is keeping it moist in its natural environment and get it reimplanted by a dentist as early as possible.