As an athlete, you have to be ready to push your body to its limits. Athletes who play in contact sports (or any type of sport in general) have had their fair share of accidents that have resulted in injuries. As a sports practitioner, you should make sure that you know how to mend your injuries so that you can come back stronger and play another round of the game you love. 

One type of injury that will deserve immediate attention are dental traumas or injuries to the teeth and oral cavity. Sometimes, a player can have their tooth knocked out during a game, and every minute between then and until they see a dentist will be crucial in determining whether it can be fixed properly. Dental emergencies have specific timeframes and will need the immediate attention and intervention of a skilled dentist. 

To give you a better idea of what you may face as an athlete, here are some dental emergencies that are prone to happening in sports:

1 – Knocked Out Teeth

Martial arts and other contact sports may put an athlete’s teeth at risk of being knocked out of their mouth. The good news is that if the tooth is brought to a dentist within 30 minutes of being knocked out, the chances of the tooth being placed back into its original position are high!

2 – Cracked Teeth

Cracked teeth may also happen to athletes if they frequently have head collisions or if they do not wear the proper safety gear when they play. If the person claims to feel pain when they bite down on the affected tooth, or if there is a visible line, they likely have a cracked or chipped tooth.

3 – Tooth Intrusion

This type of dental emergency rarely happens to adults and is more common in children. This refers to when the tooth is pushed into the jawbone. There are many complications that may arise because of tooth intrusions, like damage to the tooth pulp and root resorption.

4 – Fractured Roots

Fractured roots are cracked teeth that start at the base of the tooth and work their way up. Just like any cracks and damage to the teeth, these may serve as entryways for bacteria and other microbes to enter the tooth. Once it enters, it can cause infection to the more sensitive inner workings of the tooth!

What You Can Do

In these situations, it is a good idea to have the contact number of an emergency dentist handy. While it’s not an idea you’d like to dwell on, it’s better to be safe than sorry! Since many of these delicate situations are time-sensitive, getting the appropriate dental intervention as soon as possible will reduce the risks of it becoming a bigger and more permanent problem.

To prevent such dental emergencies from happening in the first place, it is a good idea to wear protective gear on your teeth to ensure that they will not come into contact with the other players, especially for contact sports. Custom-made mouthguards can also be made by your dentist, to ensure maximum comfort and safety.

Conclusion

It is still possible to have a good set of teeth even when you play sports. While we may not be able to control when injuries strike, how we handle these situations will determine whether the damage to the teeth will be permanent or not.

If you need the services of an emergency dentist in Edmonton, or if you would like to have a dentist to call in case of an emergency, Edmonton Smiles can help! We offer emergency dental, teeth whitening, and preventive services. Call us in case of any dental emergency!

Posted in Dental News & Advice