Not every sports injury leaves a gap or a jagged edge. A tooth can look perfectly normal after a hit and still be bruised, cracked or shifted slightly. Call us from Burlington, describe the knock and how the tooth feels, and we will help you work out the right assessment.
You take a shoulder to the jaw during a volleyball dive or a basketball rebound. No blood, no chip, but one tooth feels tender, slightly taller than the rest, or oddly loose when you bite. That is a common pattern. The force of a hit travels through the tooth into the ligament and bone holding it, and the damage can sit below the gumline where nobody can see it.
Sit out the rest of play first and think about the whole body. A blow that bruised a tooth may also have hurt the lip, jaw or head. Once you are safe, an assessment helps identify what kind of injury has occurred, whether neighbouring teeth were affected, and what to watch for. Because some changes take weeks to show, follow-up is part of the care rather than an extra.
Ring (905) 876-4488 and say when the hit happened and how the tooth now feels. Mention straight away any tooth that has come out or moved, bleeding that will not ease, or symptoms such as confusion or drowsiness. We will talk through availability and a sensible next step. Medical problems must be handled before a trip to the dentist.
Ask a friend to help with phoning or driving if you feel shaken. Try not to tap, rock or bite on the sore tooth to see how it responds, and do not leave an urgent situation sitting in an inbox.
A permanent tooth that has been knocked clean out is an emergency. Lift it by the crown and avoid touching the root. A quick rinse in milk or saline is fine if it is dirty; do not scrub. In an alert person who can cooperate, it can go gently back into place if that is easy. If not, put it in milk and get care right away. Baby teeth stay out.
These need a prompt look, even if the discomfort is mild. Do not nudge a tooth that has moved or keep chewing to test it. If a broken piece is easy to collect, keep it in milk and bring it, but do not spend time searching. Let the dentist know if a piece is still unaccounted for.
Blacking out, confusion, unusual drowsiness, vomiting or other concerning symptoms after a blow to the head call for medical assessment. A sudden change in how the teeth meet, or difficulty opening wide, may point to injury beyond the tooth. Feeling better or fitting a guard back in is not permission to keep playing.
Phone 911 for unconsciousness, seizures, trouble breathing or bleeding that will not stop. Unsure if the lost tooth was a first tooth or an adult one? Store it in milk and seek urgent professional advice instead of putting it back.
An examination separates what needs treatment today from what needs time, monitoring or a specialist. Ask the dentist to name the teeth and tissues involved and to explain whether a step is temporary, final, or part of a longer course of care. A frank explanation of the injury is more useful than reassurance that every tooth will pull through.
With a tooth that looks normal, reviews are often where the real information appears. The clinician can see how the pulp and the ligament around the root respond over the coming weeks and months. Return for those visits even when chewing is comfortable, and call about anything new rather than deciding the injury was minor.
Patient information: AAE — assessment and continuing care after traumatic dental injuries
The dentist may check the teeth on either side, the gums and lips, the bite and the bone around the roots. Describe how the hit landed if you can. Imaging and tooth tests may be used, and recording the findings gives later visits a fair comparison.
Some injuries benefit from a protective covering, a gentle repositioning with a splint, or care for a cut. Ask what each measure does and what it means for eating and activity. Plenty of injuries need no splint at all, and those that do still need reviews.
Discuss any later treatment, the follow-up calendar and when the area can handle sport again. Ask whether your mouthguard still fits after treatment. Guidance from the dentist and guidance from a doctor about returning after a head injury are both important and answer different questions.
Bring any tooth or fragment you recovered, a quick note on first aid, and what any doctor has said so far. None of that should delay urgent care; an approximate account is enough.
Share when and how you were hit, the sport, and any symptoms such as blacking out, nausea or a missing tooth. If a tooth was out, explain how long and where it was kept. The clinician decides whether you should be seen medically first or at the same time.
The dentist looks at the teeth, gums and bite, adding tests that suit the findings. Tell them which teeth feel wrong, tall or loose, even if they look normal. Early tests can be inconclusive and are often repeated, so the first visit may not answer everything.
Treatment depends on the injury, how developed the tooth is, its condition and the time since the hit. Ask about the plan, comfort, other options and whether a referral is needed. The first stage may just protect or stabilize the tooth while a longer repair or specialist plan takes shape.
Leave with a return date, a list of foods and activities to avoid, and a contact for a loose splint or new symptom. Talk through future mouth protection and medical clearance if your head took part of the blow. Keep the instructions so a coach or family member can help you follow them.
A tender tooth left as it is, a small repair, a repositioned tooth and a replanted one each need different care. Follow the advice that matches your injury, and ask before going back to any sport where another knock is possible.
Ask how to clean the area gently and which foods or bites to hold off on. Leave the tooth alone instead of pressing it to check, and never bite on a splint. If the routine is hard to stick to, call the team rather than switching to tips meant for another procedure.
Get in touch about worsening pain, swelling, new movement, a tooth that turns grey or darker, a bite that changes or a damaged splint. A tooth that looked unharmed can still need treatment later. The next step depends on examination, and a colour change does not always mean the same thing.
Bring the mouthguard to be checked if asked, especially after a repair, splint or tooth movement. It should not be pushed over the healing area. Follow both the dental limits and any medical return-to-sport plan; protection does not make an unassessed injury safe.
Patient information: NHS — medical assessment after head injury and concussion
Call about urgent injuries and tell us when they happened. The team can suggest the right assessment without assuming that no visible damage means no injury.
Phone (905) 876-4488 before setting out to describe the injury and check current availability. Mention a missing or displaced tooth and any medical concern early in the call. Use online booking for routine follow-up, not for an injury that needs prompt attention.
If you need urgent care and cannot get through to us, contact another available emergency provider.
