Why You Should See Your Dentist Immediately After Banging a Front Tooth
If you bang a front tooth and there is no sign of damage or pain, you may think that your tooth is okay. After all, pain is usually the best indicator that something is wrong. But teeth are much more than just enamel and dentin. When you traumatize a tooth, even if there is no visible damage, there may be something else happening out of sight, under the surface.
It's important to see your dentist soon after banging a front tooth. Several things can happen soon after you bang a front tooth.
Trauma can damage the blood vessels inside a tooth
Although you may not notice any immediate change in a tooth after you have banged it, the worst of the damage may have occurred inside the tooth. On the outside, the first layer of a tooth is enamel. And under that is a porous layer called dentin. These two layers protect the inner chamber of the tooth, which contains a bundle of blood vessels and nerves called the pulp.
If you damage that bundle of blood vessels inside your tooth, you could cut off the blood supply that keeps the tooth healthy and vital. Sometimes, the effect is instantaneous and a tooth begins to die shortly after receiving the traumatic injury. And other times, a tooth dies slowly, with the worst of the symptoms coming months or even years later down the line.
If a tooth dies, you might not be able to save it. Then, the only course of action will be extraction. This is why you need to see your dentist as soon as possible.
Your dentist can perform a root canal to save your tooth
Even if you don't feel any pain or discomfort, book an appointment with your dentist if you bang a tooth. If you get to your dentist soon, you can probably save the tooth if the pulp has been damaged. To save your tooth, your dentist will perform a root canal. This means that your dentist will drill a hole in your tooth and clean out the dead and damaged tissue. Once they have removed the dead tissue, they can then fill the tooth and place a crown over it.
However, not all teeth die after traumatic injuries. Sometimes, teeth can heal and stay healthy for a lifetime. But that doesn't mean you should skip a visit to the dentist if you bang a front tooth. Losing a front tooth will have a big impact on your smile.