Avulsed and subluxated teeth are conditions whereby a tooth and root that is hit with force from the jaw bone becomes relaxed and misaligned, but still connected to the jaw. This condition occurs when one damages his or her teeth through a car accident, sports injury, or any changes that brought trauma to the face. It needs adequate attention. In a situation where the tooth is blown out of the mouth, it should be located and placed right away in a non- acidic fluid like water or milk and brought as soon as possible together with the patient to the dentist for immediate care. The longer the tooth stays out of the mouth affects the success of re-implanting it.
If the implant becomes successful, the treated tooth will be preserved for unspecified period of time. One possible complication of this kind of injury is that the chance for the roots to adhere could not be determined. The therapy would commonly require identifying the capability of the tooth and root and the status of the tooth socket. The tooth will then be glued back to its own socket. It is necessary to undergo root canal therapy and establish stabilization of the tooth by connecting it to nearby teeth or temporary splinting. To check the stability of the tooth, regular x-rays are needed.
Whenever the tooth is sublaxated, the therapy will include adjusting the tooth into correct and normal position as well as splinting to the closest teeth as necessary for steadiness. Further treatment depends on the assessment of the tooth nerve.
Symptoms of avulsed tooth injuries following trauma to the mouth include:
- Pain, bleeding, swelling, bruising at the affected site.
- Laceration (cut) to the lip, tongue, mouth of face.
- Teeth or a tooth that is loose.
- A tooth that has been partially knocked down and appears longer than the tooth next to it.
- A tooth that has been knocked out and pushed out toward the lip, or pushed in toward the tongue.
- A tooth that has been knocked up into the socket- the tooth looks shorter than the teeth next to it.
- Unusual looseness/ mobility of the jaw.
- Malocclusion: when biting, teeth do not meet together normally, teeth are misaligned and the bite feels off.