Traumatic Dental Injuries Elizabeth, NJ

What This Page Covers

Severity: Dental injuries vary in severity, affecting different tissues. Types range from mild concussions, with slight periodontal ligament damage, to severe avulsions, where the tooth is completely displaced and the periodontal ligament is ruptured.
Types: Injuries include concussions, subluxations (greater periodontal ligament damage), luxations (extrusive, lateral, intrusive), avulsions (tooth completely displaced), and broken teeth classified by the Ellis system based on damage to enamel, dentin, and pulp.
Treatment: Treatment options for dental injuries and trauma include bone grafting, extractions, implants, and full-mouth reconstruction, depending on injury severity. Before your treatment, we have a consultation, examination, investigation, and diagnosis.
Benefits of Emergency Care: Elizabeth Oral Surgery Group offers advanced emergency dental services with benefits, including immediate pain relief, preventing infection, and restoring functionality. Our personalized approach and state-of-the-art technology ensure optimal results for patients with dental trauma.

When people think of accidents resulting in physical trauma, they think of broken bones and other bodily injuries. People rarely picture or think about dental trauma. However, dental trauma can happen during motor vehicle accidents, falls, and any other type of accident that directly impacts the mouth and the surrounding area.

Suffering dental injuries can be incredibly painful and traumatic. When you need exceptional medical care and services, it’s essential to be confident in your medical team. Elizabeth Oral Surgery Group is the top choice for oral care in Elizabeth, New Jersey. We are committed to our patients, providing them with unmatched personalized care that adjusts to fit their needs.

Types of Traumatic Dental Injuries

Dental traumas are categorized depending on the degree of severity of the injury. The injury’s severity depends on the type of tissue damaged and the extent of the damage the tissue sustained. Traumatic dental injuries can fall into the following categories.

Concussion

One hears “concussion” and thinks of a brain injury. However, teeth can also suffer concussions. A tooth concussion is the mildest type of traumatic injury that the teeth can suffer. The fibers of the periodontal ligament become strained or damaged but with enough support to keep the tooth intact in the socket. The tooth may exhibit slight sensitivity to touch or diagnostic tapping, and the gums surrounding it may become slightly swollen. The gums may also bleed slightly, but the neurovascular tissue in the dental pulp remains intact.

Subluxation

Subluxation is considered to be an aggravated concussion. There is greater damage to the periodontal ligament. The tooth still remains intact and in its socket, but there is a notable movement that occurs. Interstitial bleeding from within the tooth-gum boundary is evident. Pain is felt when the tooth is touched or tapped, and there may be slight damage to the neurovascular bundle.

Extrusion or Extrusive Luxation

Luxation involves a trauma sufficient enough to dislodge the tooth from its socket. In the event of a luxation, there is always partial or total rupture of the periodontal ligament and considerable damage to or total severance of the blood vessels and nerve fibers of the dental pulp.

Extrusion luxation is when the tooth is dislodged outwards away from the tooth socket in a direction typically parallel to the tooth root orientation. The tooth will appear to have lengthened as part of the tooth root has been exposed.

Lateral Luxation

Lateral luxation is when the tooth is displaced from its socket in any direction that is roughly perpendicular to the axial or longitudinal axis of the tooth. In this type of luxation, fracture of the alveolar socket bone is always present. There is often partial or complete laceration of the periodontal ligament and pulpal neurovascular connections. The periodontal ligament on the side of the fracture may also undergo traumatic compression.

Intrusive Luxation

In this type of luxation, rather than a tooth is dislodged, a tooth is driven further into the alveolar socket. This causes the alveolar bone to fracture and become compressed. The periodontal ligament, the pulp blood, and the nerve connections are torn off and crushed. In some cases, the tooth becomes completely submerged in the jawbone and can even penetrate the nasal cavity. Nearly all intrusive luxations lead to pulpal necrosis.

Avulsion

This type of dental trauma is when the tooth is totally displaced out of the socket. When the tooth root is fractured, a portion of the root may remain inside the socket. However, the pulp neurovascular supply and the periodontal ligament are completely ruptured. Tooth loss is highly lightly in the event of an avulsion. Even if the tooth can be preserved, there is a risk of the tooth not being recognized by the body’s immune system and may be rejected. A rejected tooth will fuse to the bone and be resorbed.

Broken Teeth

Broken teeth are dental traumas that involve damage to the teeth but do not involve dislocations. Teeth may be cracked, chipped, fractured, or torn off. The severity of the broken tooth is described according to the Ellis fracture classification system. The system assigns levels of severity based on whether the enamel, dentin, and pulp were affected. These include:

Ellis Class 1 Fracture: Broken teeth only affect the enamel layer
Ellis Class 2 Fracture: The enamel and the dental layers were affected
Ellis Class 3 Fracture: The enamel, dental, and pulp were all affected

Class 1 fractures are not considered medical emergencies and can be treated with cosmetic dental treatments. Class 2 fractures require direct or indirect dental restorations. Class 3 fractures are medical emergencies due to the bleeding and extreme pain experienced with these fractures.

Treating Facial Trauma and Dental Injuries

Regardless of how you suffered facial trauma or a dental injury, seeing an emergency dentist right away increases your chances of preserving your natural teeth and protecting your oral health. At Elizabeth Oral Surgery Group, we offer patients emergency dental services for all types of dental trauma and injuries.

Depending on the severity of your condition and other details we observe in our careful evaluation, we may provide one or more of the following treatments:

Bone Grafting

If you suffered a dental injury that resulted in bone loss, such as avulsion or subluxation, you may need bone grafting to ensure your teeth have the proper support before other procedures and during healing. During this treatment, we use bone grafting materials to strengthen the jawbone and implement the latest techniques to restore your smile’s appearance and functionality.

Extractions

Facial trauma from sports injuries, car accidents, and other incidents can result in broken or severely damaged teeth. Depending on the extent of the damage, the tooth may need to be extracted to alleviate pain and prevent future issues. While we do everything we can to preserve your natural teeth, extracting and replacing the tooth may be the best option to protect your oral health.

Implants

If your natural teeth cannot be preserved after suffering facial trauma or dental injury, you may get them replaced with dental implants. These small, titanium posts replace the teeth at the root and are often topped with a restoration, such as a crown, bridge, or denture. This natural-looking option restores your smile’s appearance without compromising the jawbone’s integrity.

Full-Mouth Reconstruction

If you suffered extensive dental trauma, you may need a full-mouth reconstruction, which combines multiple treatments to renew the function and appearance of your smile. Based on your unique needs, these treatments may include the following:

Bone grafts
Orthodontics
Restorations
Inlays and onlays
Gum contouring
Corrective jaw surgery
Crown lengthening

At Elizabeth Oral Surgery Group, we take a personalized approach, closely examining your injuries, assessing your health history, and discussing your personal preferences to create a full-mouth reconstruction plan that helps meet your goals and rebuild your smile.

Concussions and Subluxation

If your teeth are displaced due to a concussion or subluxation from an accident, it is vital to seek emergency dental care to stabilize them. In serious concussion or luxation cases, you may need treatments like tooth extractions and bone grafting to rebuild the damaged jawbone structure and preserve your oral health.

Traumatic Dental Injury Treatment

Time is of the essence when it comes to saving a damaged tooth when a person suffers traumatic dental injuries. A quick response time and diagnosis can substantially improve the outcome of dental trauma treatment. Therefore, it’s important to contact an oral specialist as soon as possible. Once you have seen an oral doctor, they can begin to administer care. The most common dental trauma care procedures consist of the following:

Consultation: This process allows the dentist and patient to establish the basic information needed to move forward with a treatment plan
Clinical Examination: This allows the dentist to assess the teeth, the soft tissue, and the areas that may have been affected to determine the extent of the damage
Special Investigation: Extensive investigations (such as radiotherapy) may be necessary when a patient has suffered severe trauma
Diagnosis: Based on the data collected and other aspects of the patient’s medical history, the dentists can reach a diagnosis.
Treatment: A dentist will prescribe a suitable treatment plan personalized to your needs.

Suffering dental trauma can have substantial impacts on your health and quality of life. It’s important to contact an experienced oral doctor as soon as possible to ensure you get the treatment you need.

4 Benefits of Getting Emergency Care for Your Facial Trauma or Dental Injury With Elizabeth Oral Surgery Group

Suffering a dental injury or trauma can be overwhelming, and you may not know who to call or where to start to get the treatment you need. At Elizabeth Oral Surgery Group, we understand your physical and emotional challenges, so we do everything possible to put your health, safety, and comfort first. Our exceptional emergency dental care offers patients the following benefits:

Minimized future issues: Emergency dental care can slow the progression of oral problems and prevent the need for extensive treatment later on.
Alleviated pain: Dental injuries can be painful, but seeing an emergency dentist for treatment can help relieve your discomfort quickly and get to the root cause.
Restored functionality: If you have displaced, broken, or knocked out teeth from an accident or injury, your teeth may not line up properly or function correctly. With our top-notch emergency care, your teeth can return to their optimal function.
Reduced risk of infection: If dental injuries are left untreated, you may develop an infection that can spread to other parts of your mouth and impact your oral health. With immediate intervention, you can reduce the risk of this concern.

In our Elizabeth offices, we always put our patients first, using the newest technology and techniques to ensure painless procedures and optimal results. Moreover, we support you before, during, and after your treatment so you always know what to expect and have the knowledge you need to take the best care of your oral health and prevent future injuries.

Need Help with Dental Trauma? Contact Elizabeth Oral Surgery Group

Elizabeth Oral Surgery Group in Elizabeth is committed to providing our patients with the exceptional care and support they need. Our offices are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, and we practice the best oral techniques to ensure our clients receive the best of the best.

Experiencing any kind of physical injury can be a traumatic experience. At Elizabeth Oral Surgery Group, we understand that our patients need our support and are proud to help them find the best treatment plans that meet their needs. Contact our offices today by completing our online contact form or by calling (908) 774-8196.