Icy Conditions: Your Teeth May Be At Risk!

11 / 12 / 2017

Icy Conditions: Your Teeth May Be At Risk!

Falls On Icy Roads And Pavements Are Likely To Lead To A Rise In The Number Of Dental Emergencies

Although we obviously hope that all of our Ipswich patients avoid accidents in the bad weather, it is almost inevitable that some people will fall, possibly receiving injuries to the head and face. You should, of course, seek medical attention if you receive a heavy blow to the head, but dental injuries should not be ignored either!

It can be tempting to think that, providing there is no obvious damage, you have probably got away with it. Not all injuries are visible though and some may occur underneath the gum surface, an area that can only be checked using an x-ray.

Broken teeth

The most likely damage to be received by a fall on ice is a broken or badly chipped tooth. It is probably unlikely that anyone would ignore these problems, although, providing that they are not in pain from it, this certainly is not unheard of.

Any damage to a tooth should be seen by a dentist at the Lighthouse Dental Practice in Ipswich as soon as possible. If your tooth has been chipped, cracked, or broken, it is very likely that further complications will occur later, even if you are not in any immediate discomfort.

A tooth broken in this manner will almost certainly have its protective enamel surface damaged. Once this happens, acids and bacteria are able to enter the inner, more porous, part of the tooth, known as the dentin layer. Eventually, the canals of the tooth can be compromised and the nerves affected. When this happens, you will almost certainly be only too aware of it, with severe toothache being a strong possibility.

Although an infected root canal of a tooth can be treated with a root canal procedure, it is far better to have the tooth restored to prevent the problem from reaching this stage.

Fillings and crowns

The treatment that you receive at our Ipswich practice will depend on how much damage has been done to the tooth. A small breakage may be restored with a straightforward filling and this can be achieved using a tooth-coloured material should you wish.

More significant breakages may require the use of a porcelain or ceramic crown. These are used when a tooth has been damaged in such a way that a filling would not be sufficient and the tooth would not offer suitable strength, or may also suffer further damage. Crowns are produced from impressions of your teeth, and the tooth will be prepared to a shape that allows the crown to be attached securely.

Should your tooth receive major damage, to the point where restorative treatment would not be successful, it may be necessary to extract it. If this is the case, we will also discuss the options we have available to replace the missing tooth, namely, dentures, bridges or dental implants.

Should you need to make an emergency dental appointment at the Lighthouse Dental Practice during this icy weather, or any other time of the year, please call our handy Ipswich surgery on 01473 257379.

We are here to help you.
If you would like to speak to a member of our friendly team about any of the issues in this article please visit our contact page or call us on 01473 257379.