Fear after blunt trauma to mouth / teeth

[Zico]

Had a blunt trauma to my mouth at the weekend. None of my teeth are loose just sore. I had an emergency appointment with my dentist who took an X-ray of the front teeth and said they all look fine but I’ve always feared losing my teeth. Would issues from an injury such as this show on an X-ray?

 

[Gordon]

The immediate issue would be fracture of the roots of the teeth deep in the sockets, the x-ray will show that. A more long term issue would be the teeth becoming non-vital due to the concussion, that wouldn't show up for some time and an x-ray isn't the correct test for it.

 

[Zico]

The immediate issue would be fracture of the roots of the teeth deep in the sockets, the x-ray will show that. A more long term issue would be the teeth becoming non-vital due to the concussion, that wouldn't show up for some time and an x-ray isn't the correct test for it.

Would you expect teeth to be sensitive for a while after such an incident? I’m following a soft diet just in case as chewing on hard things ie cereal bars isn’t comfortable.

 

[MountainMama]

This happened to me with my front tooth when I was a kid. My tooth was really sensitive for a few weeks, then never bothered me again. Make sure your dentist checks it regularly (mention it at each cleaning if they don't). Mine apparently died very slowly over the years, and abscessed. I found out last year when it all of a sudden hurt to chew. If I had it tested throughout the years, it could have been discovered when it was dying. It was never painful until the abscess.

That said, one of my friends played soccer all through high school and college and got hit in the front teeth multiple times, even chipping a tooth, and her teeth are just fine. She is in her mid 40's now, and gets them checked every year, but they are still vital.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

I can imagine this injury would be a shock and quite a scare and be thinking of the after effects maybe for some time. I don't have any answers but just wishing you a speedy recovery with no complications!

 

[Zico]

Yeah I’ve been terrified since.

Basically took a punch and a kick to the mouth. My teeth have felt weird since (don’t know if that’s just in my mind) and one tooth definitely feels sensitive to bite down on.

To make matters worse my inner lip is shredded from where i but them. Biggest fear is losing all of my teeth. I think having lots of ulcers from the trauma is making my mouth feel worse though.

 

[Gordon]

Sensitivity is not a bad thing, proves the teeth are alive and responding. It should settle down soon though.
For the ulceration, try rinsing with some Difflam oral rinse, should help a bit.

 

[Zico]

Sensitivity is not a bad thing, proves the teeth are alive and responding. It should settle down soon though.
For the ulceration, try rinsing with some Difflam oral rinse, should help a bit.

Well at least that is some good news on what has been a bad week.

Would it be obvious if any of the teeth were loose? Would they move when tapped and would the dentist I seen have noticed?

Thanks for the reassurance.

 

[MountainMama]

Yeah I’ve been terrified since.

Basically took a punch and a kick to the mouth. My teeth have felt weird since (don’t know if that’s just in my mind) and one tooth definitely feels sensitive to bite down on.

To make matters worse my inner lip is shredded from where i but them. Biggest fear is losing all of my teeth. I think having lots of ulcers from the trauma is making my mouth feel worse though.

Ugh, the mouth ulcers are the worst! It is very unlikely that you will lose all your teeth, though. If they are not broken now, and didn't show root fractures on the x ray, if one or more of them does eventually die, a root canal would most likely preserve your tooth/teeth. Mine got bad with an abscess, but after a root canal, structurally the tooth is fine.

Hopefully yours will be just fine! Don't keep testing them and pushing against them with your tongue, as that will make it harder for them to heal. (I have a hard time with that one, but my endodontist tells me that all the time).

 

[Zico]

I had some trauma to my jaw / teeth last week and I’ve noticed one of my upper front teeth has shifted out slightly.

The dentist said it looks fine and X-rays shows it is still in root. It feel weird where my tongue normally meets behind the teeth as the shape has changed.

Is this normal? Any chance they could shift back. Doesn’t feel loose but could it still come out?