Teeth are the strongest parts of the human body, even stronger than bone, but that doesn’t mean they’re injury proof. Children chip or break their teeth all the time due to falls, sports injuries, and even chomping down on hard foods like candy or ice. There are four classes of dental fractures:
Class 1 – Fractures in the outer enamel layer
Class 2 – Fractures into the dentin layer
Class 3 – Fractures into the pulp
Class 4 – Fractures of the root
If your child has broken a tooth, he or she needs to come in for an x-ray and exam as soon as possible. The dentist will determine the severity of the fracture and discuss the appropriate treatment options with you. Depending on the class of the fracture and whether or not it’s a permanent or primary tooth, treatment options could involve smoothing the chip out, placing a small composite filling, doing a root canal and crown, or extracting the tooth in the most severe cases.
Call our office and we will work your child into the schedule for an evaluation. In the meantime, you can give your child whatever over the counter pain reliever you normally use, and apply ice if there is facial swelling. Bleeding is common with tooth injuries, and you can use a piece of gauze to apply gentle pressure.
