Dealing with dental injuries

Any physician who sees patients on an emergency basis will be confronted with dental or oral injuries. Certain patients, eg, those with pulp exposure or with any apparent tooth displacement, should be referred immediately to a dentist. Patients with lesser dental injury, eg, with chipped teeth, can wait until the next day to see a dentist. Patients with dental or oral injury should be examined for jaw fractures and for lacerations inside and outside the mouth. Following emergency management, they should be instructed in proper mouth care to be used until they can see a dentist or return to that physician for follow-up examination.