Dental Care for Fractures in Brisbane CBD
Fractures in your teeth are usually caused by accidents. We see it often now in the CBD, as electric scooters become a popular method of travel. People fall off the bike or the handlebars and injure their mouths, causing fractured teeth in the process.
It also happens frequently in sporting events, even with mouthguards in place.
Fractures can also happen in a more subtle manner. Your back teeth can also develop fractures from eating hard foods, clenching, and grinding, for instance. If your grinding and clenching are severe enough, you may even break off small slivers or corners of your teeth.
Prevention Is Possible
The best way to prevent mouth fractures that occur through injuries to the mouth is to wear a mouth guard. It won’t prevent all fractures but will help prevent the severity of any that might occur. It should be worn during sporting activities or while riding bikes, skateboards, scooters and the like.
To avoid giving yourself smaller fractures from grinding and food, be smart with your teeth. Don’t chew ice or hard candy. If you are a grinder or jaw clencher, it might be a good idea to add an occlusal splint (similar to a mouthguard) to your nighttime routine. It will help prevent the force that is causing your teeth to break down more quickly.
When the Worst Happens, We Are Here to Help
Treatment will depend on the severity of your fractures. If they are minor, you haven’t broken anything, and it’s a hairline crack in the tooth, our dental team may be able to isolate the crack and cover it with a filling to prevent it from getting worse.
If the fracture is more significant, where our dental team is worried it may affect the integrity of the tooth structure, and a part of your tooth is at risk of breaking off, a crown may be the best treatment. In this case, a crown holds the crack together better than a filling.
If you’ve broken off a section of a tooth, depending on the size of that missing part, you may require either a filling or a crown. If the nerve has become involved, a root canal treatment will also be needed. If there’s too much structure loss, then you’ll need an extraction and an implant, bridge or denture.
Smile With Confidence Once Again
If you think you have a fractured tooth or you feel sensitivity from a tooth, time is of the essence. If we get to it early on, we can avoid more drastic measures and the nerve being affected.
Don’t let the fractures go untreated for too long – we don’t want to have to perform a root canal treatment if we don’t have to! Contact us today and schedule a visit so we can fix your smile!
* Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner such as a Specialist Oral Surgeon.
