Sports Injuries & Missing Teeth

Have you lost one or more teeth due to a sports injury? Unfortunately, that’s a common problem in athletes, especially those playing contact sports. Replacing the missing teeth after a sports injury is something you’ll want to do as soon as possible. Leaving a gap in your mouth may lead to future dental problems, such as adjacent teeth shifting to fill the space. Missing teeth can also make eating and speech difficult, and having a gap in your smile can be embarrassing.

Studies show more than five million teeth are lost yearly due to sports injuries. If you have a dental emergency due to playing sports, we are here for you! Many different dental injuries can occur while playing sports. Two of the most common dental injuries that athletes experience include tooth loss and a chipped or broken tooth.

Tooth Loss

One of the most common dental injuries causes when playing sports is losing a tooth. Not only does a missing tooth make you feel less confident or embarrassed about your smile, but you may also find it harder to chew food and talk properly. Having missing teeth may also affect the health of your mouth and jaw. Since tooth stimulation keeps your jawbone healthy and strong, missing teeth may deteriorate your jawbone. This jaw deterioration can negatively affect further dental treatments (such as placing dental implants) and can also change the shape of your face. Whether a ball knocked out your tooth, collided with another player, or slid across the ground face-first, don’t panic; we can help restore your smile. Fortunately, Advanced Dental & Implant Care in Algonquin offers several services to treat missing teeth, including dental implants, dental bridges, cosmetic dentistry, and more.

Chipped & Broken Teeth

Another common sports injury is a chipped or broken tooth. If this occurs, it is crucial to immediately visit your dentist before the tooth becomes infected or abscessed. Depending on the severity, the tooth’s nerve and pulp can become infected due to cracks, chips, or other trauma to the tooth. You will need a root canal if tooth decay or infection reaches the tooth’s nerve or pulp. We provide services to treat and restore chipped or broken teeth at Advanced Dental & Implant Care. These services include cosmetic dentistry, dental crowns, root canal therapy, and more.

How To Fix A Broken, Chipped, or Missing Tooth

Dental Implants

Most dentists consider dental implants the best option for replacing missing teeth after a sports injury. The exception is children or teens, who generally are only fitted with implants once jaw growth is complete.

Implant-based dental restorations mimic the structure, function, and appearance of natural teeth more closely than any other option, consisting of an artificial tooth root – the implant – topped with an abutment that holds a natural-looking crown. Since they, unlike other options, replace tooth roots, dental implants offer protection against bone loss in the jaw – an inevitable side effect of lost tooth roots. Dental implants create self-supporting restorations – like a natural tooth – and have an average lifespan of 25 years.

Implant-based restorations can replace a single missing tooth or several, and once the repair is complete, your new implants will look, feel and function like your natural teeth. The only care they’ll need is brushing, flossing and dental checkups, just like natural teeth.

Dental Bridges

If you’re one of the few who is not a candidate for receiving dental implants, a fixed bridge is an option to consider for replacing missing teeth after a sports injury. Typically, these consist of one or more artificial teeth between two crowns fitted onto adjacent natural teeth to hold the bridge firmly in place. Bridges will last, on average, about seven to ten years. Care of a fixed dental bridge consists of normal tooth brushing and flossing under and around the appliance.

Partial Dentures

Partial dentures generally consist of artificial teeth set into a gum-colored acrylic base and are held in place by clasps attached to adjacent natural teeth. You can take out These removable dental appliances for cleaning and sleeping. Daily care of partial dentures includes brushing the denture after meals, soaking it in denture cleaning solution as needed, and annual appointments with your dentist to check it for proper fit and condition. Partial dentures must be relined or replaced periodically – typically every five to ten years – as their fit change due to jawbone and gum ridge shrinking.

So, you must know your options for replacing missing teeth after a sports injury. Specific recommendations for which would best serve your needs must come from Dr. Pottorff since no two cases of tooth loss or patients are the same. By the way, while you’re discussing these options, ask about making a mouthguard. After all, you don’t want to go through this again, do you?

Schedule A Consultation Today!

Advanced Dental & Implant Care and Christopher Pottorff, DMD is a top dental implant surgeon who treats patients from Algonquin and surrounding areas such as Elgin, South Elgin, Huntley, and Carpentersville IL. No matter your location, we are the recommended chipped, broken, or missing tooth specialist. Call our dental team at 847-854-1200 for a complimentary consultation today.