What Can I Do When Dental Tissue Is Injured?

A dental emergency can occur while you eat, play, work out, or take part in any number of normal daily tasks. “Soft tissue laceration” is dental trauma that includes harm to your lips, gums, tongue, or cheeks. The soft tissues in the mouth are delicate, sensitive and easily hurt. They also contain a lot of nerves. When they are hurt, it can be very painful.

In addition to cuts, injuries can occur to the roof of the mouth, the back of the throat, or to a tonsil. These types of wound can happen when someone falls with a pointed object – such as a popsicle stick or pencil – in their mouth. Kids are most at risk for this type of wound.

Due to all the blood vessels in the head and neck area, even a small puncture in the mouth may lead to a lot of blood loss.

Treating Soft Tissue Lacerations

Small mouth injuries may be treated at home. Clean them right away with warm water. As with all soft tissue wounds, the key points to keep in mind are to decrease the flow of blood, reduce pain, promote healing, and prevent infection.

A soft tissue laceration, including injury to the mouth or lips that results in a loose flap of tissue or an open wound, may require stitches. Some patients choose to have a small wound on the lips stitched for cosmetic reasons. A tear in the frenulum (the skin under the tongue between the lips and gums) most often heals on its own and does not need stitches.

If a foreign object, such as a bit of tooth or a wire from braces, is stuck in a wound, a doctor may need to remove it.

Preventing Soft Tissue Lacerations

The best way to avoid dental and soft tissue injuries is to wear a mouth guard for all rough play. A mouth guard should be worn at all times for team sports or sports where there is frequent contact with others or with hard objects.

Mouth guards protect the soft tissue in your mouth from your teeth. This is very important if you wear braces on your teeth. A mouth guard may even help to prevent or reduce or severity of concussions.

You need to seek emergency dental care if the injury is serious or if the bleeding doesn’t stop after 10 to 15 minutes. The dentist will wash the area, remove any dirt or debris, and see if your teeth are loose or damaged. Stitches might be needed to close the wound.

To connect to your nearest dentist in Calgary for any dental emergency click here.

Teeth Grinding

Teeth grinding or bruxism is the involuntary clenching, grinding and gnashing of the teeth. Some people are regular, forceful tooth grinders. Often it happens during sleep, but some people grind their teeth when they are awake. Teeth grinding can be a result of stress. For example, some people grind their teeth when they are angry, concentrating or feeling anxious. It can occur in both children and adults.

Effects of teeth grinding

• Cracked tooth enamel
• More wear and tear on the teeth than is normal
• Broken teeth or broken restorations (for example, fillings)
• Strain on the jaw joint
• Pain in the jaw joint or limited movement
• Tooth loss (rare)

Causes of teeth grinding

• Emotional stress, such as anger or anxiety
• Mental concentration
• Physical stress, such as illness, poor nutrition or long-term pain
• Some dental treatments, such as fillings that sit ‘too high’
• When teeth are coming through in babies and children.
• Taking antipsychotic or antidepressant medications
• Regularly drinking alcohol, smoking and using recreational drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine

Treatment for teeth grinding

If you think you grind your teeth, see your dentist or other oral health professional as soon as possible. They will look at your teeth and talk about possible treatment options that may include:

• Repair of tooth damage
• Fixing fillings that are too high
• A special mouth guard (‘bite splints’) to wear at night so that the guard is worn down instead of your teeth.

Other treatments may include stress management therapy, relaxation techniques, cognitive behavior therapy etc.

In case of teeth grinding, you may seek help from your dental clinic, your doctor, psychologist or from a physiotherapist depending on the cause of teeth grinding.

Ref: www.nhs.uk/conditions/teeth-grinding

www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au

Importance of Flossing

It is very surprising that majority of people believe that regular brushing is enough to keep their teeth healthy. They don’t realize the importance of flossing. The fact is, brushing alone does not clean your entire mouth. Flossing is such an essential activity to maintain good oral hygiene.

Here are the health benefits of flossing:

• Flossing removes the tiny trapped food particles and also the plaque trapped between the teeth which a tooth brush cannot reach.
• It also prevents the formation of calculus or tartar which if formed can only be removed by your dental hygienist.
• With regular flossing, you reduce the growth of bacteria. 
• Flossing can help prevent bad breath. If bacteria and food particles are left in between your teeth it can actually cause really bad breath.
• Flossing regularly will keep your teeth looking whiter and shiny. With plaque buildup on the teeth, food and drinks stick and staining occur. By flossing you can remove the stubborn spots and food particles providing a cleaner, healthier smile.

Proper dental care begins at home. Make sure you are not only brushing regularly but flossing as well. You need to take the time to floss well at least once a day, and try to floss after meals to remove food particles. Brushing, flossing and the use of mouth wash will help you keep your mouth healthy and clean. It is also important to schedule regular visit to your dentist to give your teeth and gums a good deep cleaning.