Survival of a Maxillary Incisor in an Adolescent Female Patient 10 Years After Delayed Replantation

One type of traumatic injury to which young people especially are vulnerable is tooth avulsion, which may occur as a result of sports activities, automobile accidents, or other mishaps. This article describes a case of a 17-year-old female who suffered an avulsion of her maxillary right central incisor due to an incident in which she fell out of a motor vehicle and onto the pavement. The tooth was recovered by friends, who transported her and the avulsed tooth to a local emergency room. One of the patient's friends achieved replantation of the tooth later that night after leaving the emergency room, and the following morning, at the originating author's dental office, a fixed splint was applied facially from tooth No. 6 to tooth No. 11. After various endodontic treatments and careful follow-up, 10 years after the trauma occurred the patient showed no signs or symptoms of failure. Additionally, root resorption that was observed at 7 years post-replantation had not progressed at the 10-year recall appointment. This case demonstrates that although delayed replantation usually has an unfavorable prognosis, every effort should be made to maintain the natural tooth in place whenever possible.