Help for Injured Teeth

Endodontic treatments can help save teeth when you have an injury.

Dislodged Teeth

Sometimes an injury to your mouth can cause your tooth to be pushed out of its socket. We can usually reposition and stabilize your tooth, then start root canal treatment within a few weeks of the injury to save it. First we’ll place a medication such as calcium hydroxide inside the tooth. Eventually, we will implant a permanent root canal filling.

If the tooth has been pushed just partially out of the socket, the pulp may remain healthy after we reposition and stabilize your tooth. In this case, you won’t need any other treatment unless the pulp becomes damaged or infected. If it does, you will require root canal treatment.

Avulsed Teeth (teeth that have been forcibly torn away)

If an injury causes a tooth to be completely knocked out of your mouth, it is important that you get treatment immediately!

Keep the tooth moist. If possible, put it back into the socket. A tooth can be saved if it remains moist. You can even put the tooth in milk or a glass of water (add a pinch of salt.)

North Texas Endodontic Associates may start root canal treatment based upon the stage of root development. The length of time the tooth was out of your mouth and the way the tooth was stored, may influence the type of treatment you receive.

Tooth Injuries in Children

An injured immature tooth may need one of the following procedures to improve the chances of saving the tooth:

Apexogenesis

This procedure encourages the root to continue development as the pulp is healed. We’ll cover the soft tissue with medication to encourage growth. The tip of the root (apex) will continue to close as the child gets older. In turn, the walls of the root canal will thicken. If the pulp heals, no additional treatment will be necessary. The more mature the root becomes, the better the chance of saving the tooth.

Apexification

In this case, the unhealthy pulp is removed. We’ll place medication into the root to help a hard tissue form near the root tip. This hardened tissue provides a barrier for the root canal filling.

At this point, the root canal walls will not continue to develop, making the tooth susceptible to fractures. So it is important to have the tooth properly restored by your dentist.

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