What traumatic injuries do you treat in adults?

Dr. Dholakiya regularly treats traumatic injuries that cause dislodged and avulsed teeth, which are teeth that have been completely displaced from the socket. Treatment plans vary on a case-by-case basis, with factors like the extent of the repositioning of the teeth playing a role.

Dislodged Teeth

• Injuries to your mouth can dislodge teeth and push them back into their sockets, causing pain. Dr. Dholakiya can reposition and stabilize the affected tooth.
• Dr. Dholakiya performs root canal treatment within a few weeks of the injury. Medication like calcium hydroxide is placed inside the tooth. A permanent root canal filling is implanted eventually.
• Sometimes, a tooth is partially pushed out of the socket. If the pulp remains unaffected and relatively healthy, no additional treatment is necessary.

Avulsed Teeth

• If an injury to your mouth results in a tooth being completely knocked out of your mouth, it’s key that you contact Dr. Dholakiya for treatment immediately. If at all possible, place it back into the socket. Keep the tooth in milk or a glass of water with a pinch of salt.
• Dr. Dholakiya may start root canal treatment, depending on the stage of root development. The amount of time the tooth was out of your mouth and the way the tooth was stored during that time influences the type of treatment you receive.

What type of treatment do you use on children?

Since children’s teeth are less mature than adult’s teeth, the treatment methods to save children’s teeth are different. Dr. Dholakiya performs the following procedures on children:

Apexogenesis: This procedure entails applying medication to the soft tissue in instances where the nerve is exposed but is still healthy. The goal is to promote the continued development of the root. As the child gets old, the tip, or apex, of the root continues to close, and the wall of the root canal thickens.

Apexification: In this procedure, the diseased pulp is removed. Dr. Dholakiya then applies medication into the root to cause the formation of a hard tissue near the root tip. This creates a protective barrier for the root canal filling. As a result, the root canal walls won’t continue to grow which makes the tooth susceptible to fractures. Therefore, proper restoration of the tooth is essential.