Overview
Contact, collision, wheeled, and high-fall-risk activities can injure teeth, lips, cheeks, tongue, jaws, and supporting bone. Prevention, a response plan, and prompt management can improve the chance of saving an injured tooth.
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Sports or Activities
Sports or Activities explained in clear patient-friendly language, including what to notice, what a dentist may review, and questions to ask.
Lifestyle Choices
Contact, collision, and fall-risk activities can injure teeth, jaws, and soft tissues without appropriate protection.
Lifestyle Choices
Sports or Activities
Oral health connection
How sports or activities can affect your mouth
Causes
- Direct impact, falls, equipment contact, and unexpected collisions can chip, loosen, displace, or knock out teeth.
Contributing Factors
- No mouthguard, poor guard fit, braces, prior trauma, hard playing surfaces, and unsafe equipment increase risk.
Symptoms
- Warning signs include bleeding, a changed bite, tooth movement or displacement, fracture, numbness, swelling, or inability to open normally.
Practical guidance
What to do
At home
- Wear an activity-appropriate, well-fitting mouthguard and protective equipment; replace guards that are worn or no longer fit.
At the dentist
- The dentist assesses teeth, bite, bone and soft tissues and may use vitality tests, photographs, or imaging with later monitoring.
- Treatment may involve smoothing, bonding, splinting, repositioning, root canal care, or emergency management; a knocked-out permanent tooth needs immediate action.
Keep learning
Related articles
Related article
Chipped Tooth
A chip may be cosmetic or may expose deeper tooth layers, create a sharp edge, or signal a larger fracture.
Related articleCracked Tooth
Cracks vary in depth and direction; pain with biting or temperature can be an important warning sign.
Related articleSports Mouthguards
A properly fitted mouthguard helps reduce dental and soft-tissue injuries during contact and collision activities.
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