Symptoms
If an incisor is broken, this does not necessarily lead to accompanying complaints. Whether and to what extent accompanying symptoms occur depends primarily on the extent of the anterior tooth trauma. In principle, an incisor that is broken off can be accompanied by various symptoms.
In addition, the cause of the development of the incisor damage and possible accompanying injuries play a decisive role in this context. In general, it can be assumed that an incisor that has broken off particularly close to the gum line will cause significantly more pronounced symptoms. In addition, an incisor trauma that results in complete tooth loss is usually accompanied by severe symptoms.
Patients who have an incisor that has broken off completely usually suffer from particularly severe pain. In addition, the trauma often causes bleeding in the area of the tooth socket. In the case of a deep anterior trauma with opening of the pulp, strong pain can also be observed.
In such a case, the broken incisor cannot be easily reattached. The opening of the pulp affects even the smallest nerve fibres. For this reason the pain would not subside even after the reattachment of the broken incisor.
On the contrary, in such a case it is to be assumed that the broken incisor will become inflamed. Therefore, in case of a deep anterior trauma with opening of the dental pulp, a root canal treatment is usually performed. In this way the tooth stump remaining in the jaw can be used as an anchor and can be provided with a crown. Possibly, in addition to the broken off incisor, an impairment of bony structures can be detected. For this reason, local swellings and/or bruises (haematomas) are among the most common accompanying symptoms of a chipped incisor.
Causes
If an incisor is broken off, the cause can almost always be assumed to be a traumatic event. Above all mechanical injuries in the form of horizontal force effects play a decisive role in this context. In addition, the typical causes of a broken off incisor can be assigned to the respective age of the patient concerned.Especially in small and school children, falls and impacts are among the most common causes of anterior tooth trauma.
Corresponding accidents usually occur during sports lessons or while playing. If an incisor is broken off, possible accompanying injuries must always be excluded for this reason. Particularly in the case of a pronounced trauma to the front teeth, x-rays of the jaw and the midface should be taken in the course of diagnostics.
Strong force effects on the incisors can, for example, be associated with a fracture of the upper or lower jaw. In adolescents and adults, accidents or physical confrontations often lead to the appearance of an incisor that has broken off. Also in these cases a dentist should be consulted as soon as possible. Especially a trauma to the front teeth, which occurs in the course of a physical confrontation, can possibly be accompanied by bone fractures in the area of the jaw, the zygomatic bone and/or the eye socket.
