Hockey is a high-contact sport that requires a great deal of equipment in order to keep players safe. From shin pads to hockey mouthguards, every piece of equipment is essential in order to prevent serious hockey injuries.
Most of us have noticed the gap-toothed grin of an NHL hockey player or two! Many players have experienced hockey injuries to the teeth due to a fast-moving puck or stick. In many cases, the hockey puck or stick hits the anterior zone of the mouth, damaging the front teeth if a player is not wearing a properly-fitting hockey mouthguard.
“As a result you can sustain injuries where teeth become very mobile,” says Dr. Angela Demeter, a periodontist and HealthChoicesFirst.com partner. “One or multiple teeth can fall out. In addition, the bone can break while the tooth is falling out.”
Treating Hockey Injuries to the Teeth
If you sustain an injury while playing hockey, you should call your dentist right away.
Demeter offers a few treatment scenarios for hockey injuries to the teeth:
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If the tooth has actually fallen out it can be replaced into the socket on the way to the dentist
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If the tooth becomes quite loose, a periodontist can splint it and watch it to see if it actually tightens up again
“Splinting the tooth would be the simplest scenario, but unfortunately it often doesn't occur,” says Demeter. “If the tooth was to break we would have to remove the tooth, and sometimes we would add bone in order to augment the site so that we could preserve it for future implant placement.”
The most common treatment scenario involves removing the tooth and placing a bone graft within the same surgical period.
“It may be a soft tissue graft, anything in order to build back what's been lost to provide the most natural result,” says Demeter. “During the healing period, often patients would prefer to have something there so they're not walking around without teeth.”
Your options to have the area restored include a removable denture or different types of retainers so that you would have teeth in the interim.
“This could be a period of four, to six, to eight months depending on the significance of the trauma,” says Demeter. “Your dentist and periodontist can work together in order to help restore your smile in the interim, and in the long term so that you have the most aesthetic and natural result after treatment.”
If you have more questions about hockey mouthguards or hockey injuries to the teeth, contact your dentist or a periodontist. And, before you step out on the ice, make sure you are wearing every piece of equipment you need, including a hockey mouthguard!