The short answer to this question is “Yes, car accidents can cause dental problems”.
We will elaborate here to explain the most common dental problems that we see as the result of car accidents. No one ever plans to be in a car accident so these consequences are impossible to prevent. It is helpful to understand the potential for dental problems with a car accident so that you can seek professional dental care relatively soon after your accident.
What Are TMJ Disorders?
The jaw joints are often affected by the forces of impact during an automobile collision. Many people are familiar with the concept of whiplash type injuries to the neck. What most do not know is that whiplash also affects the jaw joints. An impact that forces the head back into the headrest often also forces the lower jaw open widely. An impact from the rear that forces your head forward toward the steering wheel and windshield often forces the lower jaw closed with great velocity.
These strong forces can cause temporary or permanent damage to the jaw joints (TMJs). Some people experience temporary muscle pain and joint tenderness, with ringing in the ears. Others experience a slipped disk that is not repairable without surgery.
Treatment for TMJ Problems
The treatments necessary to manage the TMJ problems that can result from a car accident involve the use of mouthguard appliances, physical therapy, chiropractic adjustments, anti-inflammatory medication, and joint surgery.
Cracked and Broken Teeth
The force of impact during a collision often cracks or breaks the teeth. The damage can occur as the result of the mouth hitting an external object, like the steering wheel or windshield. You can also experience trauma from the upper and lower teeth closing together with great force and speed.
These injuries can chip away pieces of hard tooth structure, such that you can feel sharp edges or missing enamel. In some cases, the tooth will develop a fracture or crack that does not involve the loss of tooth structure. The enamel is broken and separated, but still present on the tooth.
Treatment for Cracked and Broken Teeth
The treatment necessary to repair cracked and broken teeth depends on the severity of the damage. Minor enamel chipping may require something as minimal as recontouring and smoothing. The most severe cases of broken teeth require removal of the tooth by extraction because it has a hopeless prognosis for long-term success.
In general, most cracked and broken teeth fall somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. Your dentist can often repair lost tooth structure with a dental filling or a crown.
Fractures that extend into the internal aspect of the tooth will affect the nerve within, which also requires treatment. In these cases, a root canal therapy is necessary to remove the damaged nerve and seal the tooth from the inside.
Death of Nerves inside Teeth
Another common consequence of the forceful impacts involved in car accidents is the death of nerves inside the teeth. This is a condition we call pulpal necrosis. The pulp is the soft tissue in the hollow center of each tooth that contains nerves and blood vessels. These nerves and blood vessels enter each tooth through a tiny pore at the tip of each root.
When a heavy force impacts a tooth, it often tears or severs the nerve and blood vessels right at that pore. This disconnects the nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth from their sources. Being cut off from the source of blood supply and innervation, they die.
The most frustrating thing about this potential consequence of a car accident is that it does not always happen immediately. It can be months or even years before the nerve completely dies and/or symptoms alert you to a problem. In some cases, no symptoms arise, and the necrosis is a “surprise” finding on a routine dental evaluation.
Treatment for Pulpal Necrosis
We cannot leave this dead tissue inside your tooth. It puts you at risk for dangerous infections in the future. Therefore, the appropriate therapy is removal of the dead tissue through a root canal treatment.
If noticeable discoloration of the tooth accompanies the nerve death (which is common), you may also require some cosmetic treatment on a front tooth to return it to its original appearance.
More Questions about Car Accidents and How They Can Affect Your Dental Health? Contact Rockland Dental Today
Call Rockland Dental Specialists today to schedule a consultation with one of our expert dentists. We can answer any question about the impact of car wrecks on dental health and assess your specific condition, if you have been in one recently. Call us at (845) 259-2500 or complete our online contact form today!
