Treating Traumatic Injuries at H.H. Hancock III Root Canal Endodontist

When a Traumatic Injury Affects Your Teeth

Even when we take excellent care of our teeth, sometimes accidents happen and cause significant damage in the form of a traumatic injury. If this happens to you or someone you love and you live in the Raleigh area, it is critical to get treatment as quickly as possible, because the endodontist may be able to save the affected tooth (or teeth)!

Dislodged Teeth

Some mouth injuries can push teeth deeper into their sockets. Dr. Hancock in Raleigh may be able to move the tooth back into place and stabilize it, but root canal treatment will most likely be necessary to save a tooth in that condition. This will typically take place within a few weeks of the traumatic injury. A medication such as calcium hydroxide will be placed in the tooth and eventually, the endodontist will implant a permanent root canal filling.

In cases where a tooth is pushed partially out of its socket, Dr. Hancock may stabilize it, and if the pulp wasn’t damaged, it might not need further treatment. If the pulp was damaged, however, it will need root canal treatment. Leaving it untreated could lead to complications such as infection of the tooth and surrounding tissue, inadequate hygiene, and tooth loss.

Avulsed Teeth

When a traumatic injury knocks a tooth out completely, come straight to Dr. Hancock or to your general dentist for treatment! Make sure to keep the tooth moist, ideally by putting it back into the socket. If the tooth remains moist and you get to us quickly, it can usually be saved. If it isn’t possible to keep it in the socket, store it in milk. Avoid touching the root at all — even to clean it, because this could damage it. The length of time the tooth spends out of your mouth and the way you store it will impact the type of treatment you receive.

Chipped, Cracked, and Broken Teeth

Craze lines are tiny cracks in teeth. These types of cracks only affect the outer layer of the enamel. They’re very common in adults. They are extremely shallow and they don’t cause pain. Although they are not cosmetically pleasing, they’re not dangerous and do not require treatment.

A fractured cusp is a crack at the point of a tooth on the chewing surface. A cusp can become weakened and either break off on its own or may need to be removed by H.H. Hancock III Root Canal Endodontist. Removing it relieves the pain in most cases. Fractured cusps rarely damage the pulp, so root canal treatment is usually not necessary. To repair the tooth back to normal, Dr. Hancock may recommend a crown.

With cracked teeth, some cracks extend all the way from the chewing surface down into the root of the tooth. Depending on the position of the crack, it might damage the pulp. In many cases, Dr. Hancock will recommend root canal treatment to fix a cracked tooth.

A split tooth happens when a tooth is cracked and, over time, the crack progresses until the tooth eventually splits into two separate parts. Depending on the gravity of the split, Dr. Hancock may not be able to save the tooth intact. Depending on the position and extent of the crack, we will determine whether part of the tooth can be saved with a crown or another restorative procedure.

Vertical root fractures are cracks that begin in the root of a tooth. Because the fracture line may not be visible, Dr. Hancock has to pay special attention to your symptoms in order to identify if you have one. Vertical root fractures are some of the most difficult fractures to identify. They are often fixed through endodontic treatment. It is sometimes possible to save part of the tooth, but in many cases, the tooth needs to be removed.

Let Dr. Hancock Save Your Tooth

Fast action on your part is one of the crucial components of giving a tooth damaged by traumatic injury its best chance, and the experience of Dr. Hancock is the other. If you have any questions about what to do in the event of a mouth injury, just give us a call at +1(919)781-9905. You can learn more about us by checking our business page, and make sure to get directions before heading to our Raleigh practice.