Sports Dental Trauma and Mouthguards
Most of these injuries are preventable, and when they are not, the first few minutes determine the outcome.
What a mouthguard does
A mouthguard spreads the energy of an impact over a wide surface rather than a single tooth, and prevents the jaws slamming together. It reduces the risk of jaw fracture and lip, tongue and joint injuries as well as tooth damage.
Ready-made or custom?
Shop-bought guards do not fit properly, so athletes remove them and they fail to stay in place on impact. A custom guard is made from an impression, is comfortable and distributes the force correctly. A child in orthodontic treatment needs a different design.
What to do at the moment of injury
For a knocked-out permanent tooth the first 30 minutes are critical: hold it by the crown, rinse briefly in milk or saline if dirty, and carry it in milk or saliva. Keep any fragment — it can sometimes be bonded back.
Getting Here, Booking and Emergencies from Etiler
Route, booking and emergency arrangements for patients from Etiler.
Getting here from Etiler
Etiler lies in the Muratpaşa district of Antalya; Muratpaşa is one of the central districts, about 2 kilometres from the clinic. We also see patients from neighbouring areas that share the route from Etiler, such as Güzeloba, Kızılsaray, Muratpaşa, Tarım. You can ask for the location on WhatsApp when travelling from Etiler.
Appointments for Etiler
At this distance, splitting treatment into visits is no problem for patients from Etiler, and attending reviews is easy too. As with patients from Muratpasa generally, appointments for families from Etiler can be scheduled consecutively.
Emergencies from Etiler
Setting out from Etiler at night is quick; come without delay in an emergency, and calling as you leave means preparation is done in advance. For patients coming from Dental Clinic in Etiler, the clinic is open 24/7 and in an emergency the order is set by severity rather than arrival time. For spreading facial swelling, difficulty swallowing or breathing, or toothache with fever, go to the nearest emergency department.
Cleaning Under a Bridge: The Most Neglected Area
The pontic in the middle of a bridge touches the gum beneath but has no root. That space cannot be reached by a brush, and the most common reason bridges are lost begins there.
Why floss alone does not work
Ordinary floss passes between the teeth, but in a bridge the teeth are joined so the floss cannot enter from above. Threader floss is used instead: the stiff end is passed beneath the bridge, the floss drawn through and the underside of the pontic cleaned with a back-and-forth motion. It takes a few days to get used to and then becomes automatic.
Aids that help
Options that make the daily routine easier:
- Superfloss: stiff at one end with a spongy midsection
- Interdental brush: for around the abutments
- Water flosser: in addition to mechanical cleaning, not instead of it
- Single-tufted brush: for the back surfaces of the supporting teeth
How a bridge is lost
The bridge itself rarely fails; loss is almost always due to the supporting teeth. Decay beginning at the margin progresses over years until the abutment cannot be saved. When that tooth is lost the whole bridge comes out and the gap grows; the next solution is more extensive and more expensive. A ten-second daily habit prevents that chain.
