Concussion 

Baby Teeth and Dental Trauma

In this section, we will cover:

  1. What is a dental concussion? 
  2. What should I do after the injury? 
  3. Will I need treatment?
  4. What can I do to help the area heal at home?
  5. Will I need any follow up appointments?
  6. What should I look out for? 
  7. What are the long term complications?

What is a dental concussion?

A dental concussion is an injury to the structures supporting the tooth after which the tooth is:

  • still in its original position 
  • not wobbly
  • tender to touch/bite on for 1 to 2 weeks

What should I do after the injury?

It can be very distressing if your child has suffered trauma to the teeth. The first thing to do is not panic.

Dental trauma is very common and there are a few steps you can follow to get the best outcome after the injury.

You should:

  1. Take a second to collect yourself and check your child hasn't blacked out.
    If your child has hit their head and you think they may have lost consciousness (even for a few seconds) or they feel nauseous or dizzy, you should get this checked out by your doctor or local A&E department to rule out a concussion (head injury)

  2. Call your dentist as soon as possible so they can arrange to check the teeth and provide any necessary treatment.

  3. If there are any cuts in or around the mouth, clean them with warm water. If there is any bleeding, dampen a clean handkerchief and press it firmly on the bleeding area.

  4. If the injury happened in a place thought to be unclean, and there has been a cut to the skin/lip/gum, you should check all tetanus vaccinations are up to date with your GP. You may need a tetanus booster vaccination.

Will I need treatment?

Teeth which have suffered from a dental concussion do not need any immediate treatment but they will need to be monitored for signs of infection (see below). 

If there are any injuries to the soft tissue, you can see here for more information.

What can I do to help the area heal at home?

To help the area heal at home, you should:

  • Brush the teeth after every meal with a soft toothbrush
  • Gently brush the injured area to prevent build up of plaque
  • Use a cotton swab/handkerchief moistened in salt water or alcohol-free chlorhexidine mouthwash (Corsodyl) to clean the gum twice a day
  • Have a soft diet
  • Take medicine to help manage any discomfort (ibuprofen or paracetamol)
  • Avoid contact sports

Will I need any follow up appointments?

Your dentist will want to see your child again for a clinical examination after:

  • 1 week
  • 6 weeks

An x-ray is not usually needed unless your dentist is concerned about damage to the nerve/infection.

What should I look out for?

The long term consequences of dental trauma are unpredictable. You should monitor your child's teeth for any signs of infection.

Favourable outcome

Baby tooth:

  • No pain 
  • Normal colour of the tooth 
  • Temporary darkening of the tooth to red/grey/yellow



Adult tooth:

  • Erupts at normal time
  • No defects in enamel (outer layer of tooth)

Unfavourable outcome

Baby tooth:

  • Pain
  • Abscess on the gum
  • Increased mobility (but this can be normal as the adult tooth starts to come through)
  • Permanent grey discolouration of the tooth, along with one of the above signs/symptoms

Adult tooth:

  • Doesn't erupt at expected time (usually 6-7 years old)
  • Discoloured or thin enamel layer
Dental abscess
Dental abscess

What are the long term complications?

In most cases, there will be no long term complications. 

If the baby tooth becomes painful or infected, it will need to be removed (see dental extraction). There will be a gap here until the adult tooth erupts at around 6-7 years old.

Treatment can be done under local anaesthetic, inhalation sedation or general anaesthetic depending on the age and cooperation of your child.

Complications with the underlying adult tooth are quite rare but can be seen in concussion injuries:

  1. Adult tooth doesn't erupt
  2. Discoloured patches on enamel (hypomineralisation - find out more here LINK)
  3. Thin enamel (hypoplasia - find out more here LINK)

Adult tooth doesn't erupt

If the adult tooth hasn't erupted by 7 or 8 years old, your dentist will take a series of xrays to check where the tooth is and what the root looks like.

Depending on what the xrays show, your child may need one of the following surgical procedures:

  • Expose and bond. (LINK)
    Sometimes the tooth can be brought into the mouth through the gum. This involves a surgical procedure to uncover the tooth and braces to pull the tooth in line with the rest of the teeth.

  • Dental extraction.
    If it is not possible to bring the tooth in line with the rest of the teeth, the tooth can be removed (see here).

  • Monitor the tooth without treatment.
    The tooth can be left under the gum but it will need to be monitored with xrays to ensure it doesn't cause problems over time.

Discoloured patches

A knock to the baby tooth can disturb the development of the underlying adult tooth. This disrupts the formation of healthy enamel and causes discolouration.

Treatment options:

Thin enamel

A knock to the baby tooth can disturb the development of the underlying adult tooth resulting in only a thin layer of enamel being formed.

Treatment options:

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