During Game 1 of the Celtics-Wizards game, Celtic guard, Isaiah Thomas, got elbowed in the mouth, and his front tooth went flying onto the Garden’s parquet floor.
At the conclusion of the play, he did exactly what he was supposed to do; he picked the front tooth up and had it re-placed by team medical personnel. However, the procedure didn’t last, because they were not able to stabilize the tooth. There was no time (or maybe no means available) during a playoff game. Post-game interviews showed him with one less front tooth.
The exact same thing happened to one of our patients last month.
I am the dentist of a local high school and treat mostly wisdom teeth and chipped teeth, but the Thursday night phone call challenged us.
The school’s baseball team was practicing and a senior got hit by a baseball square on the mouth. His entire front tooth went flying into the grass. His lip was a s big as a walnut. And the coach and medical staff did exactly what they were supposed to do.
They retrieved the tooth from the grass and IMMEDIATELY put it in a tooth preservation solution. Examples are “emt toothsaver” and “save-a tooth”. These are available where medical supplies are sold and most athletic training staffs stock them. These solutions are invaluable. For more tips please visit our dental emergencies page.
They then rushed to my office, and we went one step beyond what the Celtic’s medical staff did.
We replaced the tooth, and just like a puzzle piece, it fit perfectly. But in order to stabilize the area, we had to splint the loose tooth to other front teeth. This is exactly how a broken bone is splinted or casted.
Unfortunately, with this type of dental trauma, a root canal procedure becomes necessary. Our patient is in the process of having root canal treatment, but he has healed unbelievably well and is pain free. He will be able to keep the tooth for an indeterminate amount of time.
Not all dental trauma situations are the same, so your specific situation may be treated differently and have a different outcome.
Please call our office at 978.775.3092 for more information on dental trauma.
