What are the long term complications?

Baby Teeth and Dental Trauma

The long term consequences of dental trauma are unpredictable. You should monitor your child's teeth for any signs of infection. You can see here for signs and symptoms of an infection after dental trauma.

If the baby tooth becomes painful or infected, it will need to be removed (see dental extraction).

If a baby tooth has been injured, there is a risk of damage to the underlying adult tooth which is forming under the gum. This can either be due to the initial trauma (for example if the baby tooth gets pushed into the developing adult tooth) or due to infection around the root of the baby tooth.

For most people, there won't be any problems with the adult tooth but in rare cases, the complications outlined below may occur. Complications are more common in intrusion, avulsion and alveolar bone fracture injuries.

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:

microabrasion
resin infiltration (for white spots)
tooth whitening
composite restoration
dental veneer (more appropriate for adults)

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.