Types of Tooth Fracture

Children especially in the age group of six to ten have tooth fracture or tooth breakage. Any kind of tooth breakage is called tooth fracture.

Children can break their tooth if they have a fall or an accident or a fight or by chewing very hard food.

The teeth that normally break are the front ones as they are bigger in size when compared to the rest. Your child can have a complete tooth fracture.

This means that she may completely break her teeth. Sometimes she can just get her tooth chipped or break half of her tooth.

In the next type of fracture, your child may injure her nerve.

What Happens If a Tooth is Fractured?

In case your child has broken her tooth completely she will bleed and be in pain. However, in case she has just broken half of her tooth, she may find that tooth very sharp and rough.

If she has injured her nerve then she may develop sensitivity to heat, cold and air.

Treat It!

Children in the age group of six to ten years must have already got their permanent teeth. So any breakage can be embarrassing for them. In such cases if she has broken her full tooth then you can get it re-implanted.

However, you need to keep the tooth aside in her mouth so that it stays moist. If she is unable to hold the broken tooth in her mouth then you can place the tooth in a clean box filled with clean water with a dash of salt. The tooth has to be re-implanted within 45 minutes.

After re-implanting, the tooth has to be bonded with the other teeth so that it does not fall again. The dentist may use wiring or bonding method to stabilise the tooth. In wiring, the tooth is wired with the adjoining tooth with a thin wire.

After some days the wire is cut once the tooth is stable. The other method of bonding involves a bonding material which helps in stabilising the tooth. After the bonding material is put, the tooth is given a laser light cure to stabilise the tooth.

This treatment can cost you anywhere between Rs 2000 to Rs 5000.

In case the nerve is affected then a root canal treatment is given and if the tooth's natural structure is completely gone then full crowns are placed.

Also Read: Are Root Canals Safe During Pregnancy?

Do's and Don'ts

In case your child has broken her tooth, you must not wash her mouth in running water as it will hurt her. You must not give her hot compressions either.

Give her cold compressions instead to stop bleeding. You can feed her with ice-creams which will help stop bleeding as well as have a soothing effect.

After the re-implantation of the tooth, you must avoid giving her hard or sticky food at least for one or two weeks.

You must not pressurise the tooth for some days till the tooth stabilises. So next time your child fractures her tooth, do not waste time but rush her to a dentist.

Do not panic because if you panic you may scare the child.

(With inputs from Dr. Nisha Khushalani, Dentist from Indu Clinic, Colaba, Mumbai)