Dental trauma

Help – traumatic injury of a tooth!

The following overview tells you what to do when there is a traumatic injury of a tooth.
You will find a detailed description of the single steps for interested colleagues below!

Fractured tooth
When overreacting to hot and cold or with pain you should see a dentist or endodontist right away!

Displaced tooth
If possible, move tooth to original position. See dentist or endodontist right away!


Knocked out tooth
If possible, move tooth to original position! Alternative: place tooth in an avulsed-tooth preserving system (Save-A-Tooth), in your mouth (be careful not to swallow it!), in milk or in water. See dentist or better an endodontist as soon as possible!


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Tooth injuries in cause of an accident happen often with baby teeth but as well with permanent teeth. Affected are usually highly specialized cells in the pulp and the attachment apparatus. Even small differences during the treatment can have big affects on the healing process.

Most modern insights of healing processes of injured teeth in the molecular level have lead to new ways of treatment that allow us to preserve traumatised teeth continuously. The collaboration of specialists (endodontist, orthodontist, periodontist, restorative dentist) is often necassary, the treatment emergency treatment should be fulfilled by an endodontist in the ideal case.

Basing on the classification of the WHO from 1992, injuries are categorically divided as follows:


Injuries of Dentin and Pulp
A Crown Infraction
B Crown Fracture
C Dentin and Crown Fracture
D Complicated Crown Fracture
Important for patients:
•  treatment as soon as possible
•  preferably at the Endodontist's
•  vitality testing, x-rays of the tooth after 1, 3, 6, 12 months, then every year!

E Uncomplicated Crown Root Fracture
F Complicated Crown Root Fracture !!!
G Root-fracture !!!
Important for patients:
•  treatment as soon as possible
•  preferably at the Endodontist's
•  Check-ups (vitality testing, x-rays) of the tooth after 1, 3, 6, 12 months, then every year!



Luxation Injuries (gums, periodontal ligament, cemental layer, alveolus)
A  Concussion - An injury involving no displacement, mobility, or sensitivity to percussion
B  Subluxation - An injury involving sensitivity to percussion, increased mobility, and no displacement
C  Extrusive Luxation - An injury involving displacement in a coronal direction
D  Lateral Luxation - An injury involving displacement labially, lingually, distally, or incisally
E  Intrusive Luxation - An injury involving displacement in an apical direction into the aveolus
F  Avulsion - Knocked-out tooth


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