Traumatic Injury

Dislodged Teeth

Injuries to the mouth can cause teeth to be pushed back into their sockets.  Your endodontist or general dentist may reposition and stabilize your tooth. Root canal treatment is usually started within a few weeks of the injury and a medication, such as calcium hydroxide, will be placed inside the tooth. Eventually, a permanent root canal filling will be placed. 

Sometimes a tooth may be pushed partially out of the socket. Again, your endodontist or general dentist may reposition and stabilize your tooth. If the pulp remains healthy, then no other treatment is necessary. Yet, if the pulp becomes damaged or infected, root canal treatment will be required. 

Avulsed Teeth

If an injury causes a tooth to be completely knocked out of your mouth, it is important that you are treated immediately! If this happens to you, 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.) Your Endodontist may start root canal treatment based upon the stage of root development. The length of time the tooth is out of your mouth and the way the tooth was stored will determine long term prognosis and will influence the type of treatment you receive. 

Dental Implants

In situations where your natural tooth is too damaged, too severely cracked or fractured to be saved, or has a poor long term prognosis, dental implants are a good alternative to maintain your dentition. This procedure prevents the need to grind down teeth on either side of the missing tooth in order to fabricate a replacement called a bridge.

Dental implants are artificial roots made of titanium which are surgically placed in the jaw. Within a 3 to 5 month period the jaw bone grows into (integrates with) the implant and a crown (the part of the tooth you see) can be placed by your dentist.

Our office is skilled in implant placement and use the most advanced implants available. Once integrated with the bone , we work closely with your dentist during the restoration of the crown.

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. Soft tissue is covered 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, and the pulp will heal. The more mature the root becomes, the better the chance to save the tooth. Root canal therapy may be necessary in the future.

Apexification 
In this case, the unhealthy pulp is removed. The Marlins 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.