Managing Adolescent Root Fractures: Socket Shield Managing Adolescent Root Fractures: Socket Shield

Root fractures in adolescents present unique esthetic and prosthodontic challenges, especially when complicated by oblique or vertical fracture lines that preclude traditional root submergence. A 15-year-old female sustained multiple traumatic dental injuries, including a complex root fracture of the maxillary left central incisor, following a motor vehicle accident. Polytrauma management included pulpal therapy, splinting and interim prosthesis fabrication, but the incisor demonstrated both horizontal and vertical fracture components, contraindicating conventional root submergence therapy. Socket shield therapy (SST) ridge preservation enabled buccal bone retention while minimizing the patient's surgical burden, thereby facilitating immediate removable prosthesis fabrication and esthetic rehabilitation. The preserved shield will facilitate future implant placement during adulthood without requiring grafting. This case highlights SST as a conservative pediatric trauma management strategy, providing immediate esthetic reassurance for the adolescent patient and reducing trauma-related distress during a critical developmental stage.