Tooth abrasion is a progressive, pathological loss of tooth substances due to mechanical forces. Any tooth can be affected by most commonly are the canines and premolars. Unfortunately, it is a condition that can happen at any age, but it increases at the elderly age. The reason behind it is that the tooth substances suffer from wear. It all starts in the enamel, but it can progress into the dentin, and in some cases even affect the pulp. Males have a higher prevalence to suffer from abrasion than women. Canines and premolars are the two teeth groups that usually suffer from this condition because of their location. Right-handed people suffer from abrasion more often on the left side, while left-handed people are more affected on the right side.
The cause of avulsion is a traumatic injury. It can be a fall, fight, car accident, sports event and more. It usually affects kids, who are more active and always on the go. Once the accident happens, the patient will notice that the whole tooth is missing from the socket, or simply see the tooth on the ground. That is when they are supposed to take it and store it properly. If a part of the tooth is inside the pocket that is not avulsion, but a fracture.
If the tooth is avulsed it is very important to keep it properly and go straight to the dental office as soon as possible. The patient should only touch the tooth and hold it by the crown. Avoid touching the root because there are special periodontal cells that will help with the replantation. Only permanent teeth are replanted. Primary teeth are not replanted because they can damage the gem of the permanent tooth. The crucial point of replantation is finding the missing tooth. In a lot of cases that can be a problem. For example, if there was an accident, there can be a lot of blood and damage on the site, so the people won’t even be able to find the tooth or teeth. Also for sports that are played on grass, the tooth can easily disappear. People and patients should do everything they can to find it.
It should be kept in a moist environment. There are special transporting kits that are available, but the chances that you’ll have one when the avulsion happens are very low. Some emergency medical professionals have them in the van. Another good idea milk or saliva. If none of those are available salt water will do the job. It can also be kept inside the mouth, below the tongue. The tooth should not be rinsed or washed. It should be transported to the dental office as soon as possible.
Once you arrive at the dental office, the dentist will first check the alveolar socket for any pieces of bone and fractures. There might also be some injuries to the gums that have to be treated. Once the dentists takes care of all of the injuries, gets X-rays and takes care of the tooth, he can start replanting it. He will put it back into the socket and fixate it to the other surrounding teeth. Dentists usually use a metal archwire with composite fillings to make sure that the tooth stays in one place without any movements. In some cases, dentists do a root canal procedure right away. All this is done with the use of anesthetic. The patient will be prescribed with anesthetics and will be given instructions for the following days.