Tooth broken off in toddler

Approximately 30% of children suffer a dental accident up to the age of 16. It is therefore not uncommon for children to suffer such an injury. The treatment of small children is slightly different from the treatment of adults.

What remains the same is that one should remain calm in order to take the right steps. The child should be calmed and bleeding should be stopped. Broken fragments should be stored in a rescue box as described above.

Under no circumstances should they themselves reattach the broken tooth or put it back in the tooth socket! This can cause considerable damage. The germ of the permanent tooth can be damaged and may cause a breakthrough in the wrong place or damage the crown of the tooth.

A dentist should be consulted within a short time to assess the degree of injury. Pediatric dentists, who specialize in the treatment of young patients, are particularly good at this. They have the right utensils right at hand and are adapted to the handling of small children, so that the little ones can shine again quickly.

The missing spot can usually be filled with a filling. However, sometimes the tooth is so badly damaged that removal is unavoidable. In this case, a gap retainer can simply be attached to the place of the natural tooth so that the following tooth can break through properly. Which treatment method is the right one can only be decided by the dentist personally.

What to do with a root-treated tooth

If a root-treated tooth breaks off, this is a sign that there is too little natural enamel left and the tooth is therefore very unstable. The reason for this is that the tooth is not supplied with nutrients due to the previous removal of nerves. It is no longer possible to stick the broken fragment, it would not give the tooth sufficient hold.

The risk of another fracture being added and the tooth then having to be removed is greatly increased. In this case it is necessary for the dentist to provide the broken tooth with a crown. This gives the tooth new stability due to the all-round protection.

However, this is only possible if the fracture is not too deep under the gum. If this is the case, the tooth may become inflamed when a crown is made. Then it may be possible to extrude the tooth or to make a surgical crown extension.This means that the natural tooth crown is extended towards the oral cavity.

Afterwards, the restoration with a crown can be done without any problems. This treatment is a purely private service and must therefore be paid for by the patient. If this is not possible or desired, only the extraction of the broken tooth can be considered.

The resulting gap can be restored with a bridge or an implant, depending on the condition of the surrounding teeth. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done about it, only the dentist can determine which treatment is the right one and take the necessary steps. It may even be necessary to take an x-ray for the decision making process.