Fractured incisors are certainly common in childhood, when the child is in the mixed dentition stage, that is, when baby teeth and permanent teeth are both present in the mouth.
Fractures of the central incisors in childhood usually happen because the child starts to have adult teeth in a child’s mouth and face, so those teeth are too big for their mouth and their face, which makes it more likely that any impact will end in a fracture.
At Clínica Peydro we specialize in clear aligners, dental implants and esthetic dentistry
If you would like a free first visit with us, leave us your details.
What should you do if a tooth is fractured?
If you are a parent or a teacher and a child comes to you having just fractured a tooth, follow this simple advice:
- Look for the fractured fragment of the tooth
- Keep it in saline solution, milk or in saliva under the tongue (if the child is old enough to do so without any risk of swallowing it)
Thanks to this advice, if you are quick, the dentist will be able to put it back in the right position and bond the fractured piece of tooth to the part still in the mouth.
If, on the other hand, the fragments are not found, the tooth has to be fully rebuilt with composite to restore its anatomy. That is especially important at this age, since the teeth are still settling into position and their size has to be maintained to avoid space problems in the future.
Clínica Peydro solves a case of fractured central incisors
Today we are presenting the case of a 12-year-old boy who came to Clínica Peydro after fracturing his front teeth. Specifically, the patient had a fracture of half of the upper right central incisor and of the edge of the upper left central incisor.
The first thing we did was check whether the child had pain in the tooth from possible nerve exposure. In this case the nerve was still protected by dentine, so the nerve was not involved in the fracture.
After that assessment, we began selecting the right shade of composite so as to rebuild the shape of the tooth layer by layer.
In cases like this the difficulty is that the teeth are not in their final position and are rotated, so they have to be shaped following the form of the dental structures still in the mouth.
It is a very conservative technique that not only restores the lost tooth shape but also protects the dentine exposed by the loss of enamel. That is biologically very important, since we should not forget that these are permanent teeth and exposed dentine is not designed to be left without enamel over it, so protecting it with composite is essential for the long-term health of the child’s teeth and to keep the nerve from being damaged.
How can fractured front teeth in children be prevented?
If your child plays a lot of sport, they are more likely to fracture a tooth, which is why at Clínica Peydro we recommend using mouthguards fitted to the child’s mouth.
The purpose of these guards is simply to protect your children’s teeth from possible impacts.
If your child has had a fracture of this kind and you would like to make sure the nerve has not been affected, you can get in touch with us.
