Protect Your Smile—Wear a mouth guard!

April is designated as National Facial Protection Month by the American Association of Orthodontists. If a mouth guard is not worn the results could range from broken teeth, loosened teeth, knocked out permanent teeth to jaw injury. This is why we encourage our patients regardless of what sport they play, that they wear a mouth guard.

An injury can cause a tooth to come loose from the socket. According to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) the loose tooth can be:

• Pushed into the socket (intruded)
• Knocked part way out of the socket (extruded)
• Pushed sideways, but still in the socket (luxated)

The AAO recommends the following in this type of situation:

• Apply an ice pack to the injury.
• You may attempt to gently push an extruded tooth back into the socket.
• Call your family or pediatric dentist for immediate attention. Early stabilization is the best chance for the tooth to reattach itself.

Dr. Rana Barakat, a board certified specialist in orthodontics, has been proudly serving the Potomac Falls/Sterling area for almost 20 years.