Management of Dental Trauma in Children

Would you know what to do if your 8-year-old child's front tooth got knocked out? What would you do if your toddler falls and pushes one of his teeth out of alignment? Can a tooth have a broken root without any visible signs? Get the answers to these and many more questions by reading Dr. Ravel's article on tooth injury.

Injuries to children’s teeth can be very distressing for children as well as their parents.

Dental trauma may occur as a result of a sports mishap, an altercation, a fall inside of the home, or other causes.

Prompt treatment is essential for the long-term health of an injured tooth.

Obtaining dental care within 30 minutes can make the difference between saving or loosing a tooth.

Causes and frequency of dental trauma:

Approximately 30% of children have experienced dental injuries.

Injuries to the mouth include teeth that are: knocked out, fractured, forced out of position, pushed up, or loosened.

Root fracture and dental bone fractures can also occur.

The peak period for trauma to the primary teeth is 18 to 40 months of age, because this is a time of increased mobility for the relatively uncoordinated toddler.

Please click on http://www.angelfire.com/nc/kidsdental/topic50trauma.html

to read the entire article.

The author is a pediatric dentist (children's dentist) with a private practice in Fayetteville, NC. The office phone is (910) 867-8148. The dental clinic address is 6523 Dental Lane, Fayetteville, North Carolina, 28314.