Preventing Dental Injury in Sport
Prevention is simple; what you do in the first minutes decides the result.
The difference between mouthguard types
Stock guards come in one size and move about, so the wearer clenches to hold them, which makes speaking and breathing harder. Boil-and-bite types fit better but thin out and lose shape. A custom guard is made from an impression, seats fully, barely affects speech and does not need to be held by biting — and the guard that protects is the one actually worn.
If a tooth is knocked out: the first 30 minutes
- Hold the tooth by the crown only, never the root
- If dirty, rinse briefly in milk or saline
- Do not brush, scrub or dry it
- If possible reposition it and hold it with soft gauze
- Otherwise carry it in milk; water is not suitable
- Come in as soon as possible without letting it dry
Fragments and milk teeth: two distinctions
If part of the tooth has fractured, keep the fragment: brought in wet, in milk or saline, it can often be bonded back and the natural appearance kept. For milk teeth the rule differs — a knocked-out milk tooth is not replanted, because the developing permanent tooth bud lies beneath and could be damaged. The jaw and neighbouring teeth still need assessment.
Getting Here, Booking and Emergencies from Guller Pinari
Route, booking and emergency arrangements for patients from Guller Pinari.
Getting here from Guller Pinari
Güller Pınarı lies in the Alanya district of Antalya; Alanya is a coastal tourism district, about 132 kilometres from the clinic. We also see patients from neighbouring areas that share the route from Guller Pinari, such as Şekerhane, Tosmur, Yalçı, Akçatı. You can ask for the location on WhatsApp when travelling from Guller Pinari.
Appointments for Guller Pinari
Over the distance between Güller Pınarı and the clinic each visit means a day, so a long slot is set aside and the number of visits needed is stated at the outset. As with patients from Alanya generally, appointments for families from Guller Pinari can be scheduled consecutively.
Emergencies from Guller Pinari
Always call before setting out from Güller Pınarı at night; over this distance the guidance you receive on the phone matters in keeping the situation from worsening. For patients coming from Dental Clinic in Guller Pinari, 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.
Reflux and the Effect of Stomach Acid on Teeth
Stomach acid is far stronger than the acids in food. When it reaches the mouth it dissolves enamel chemically — a loss that brushing cannot prevent.
Where it shows
The pattern of erosion reveals its source. In reflux, the palatal surfaces of the upper back teeth are typically affected, and because those surfaces are covered by the tongue the patient does not notice for a long time. Teeth becoming translucent, edges thinning and fillings appearing to stand proud of the tooth are typical findings. The dentist often notices reflux before the patient does.
What not to do: brushing straight away
Immediately after acid contact the enamel is softened; brushing then scrubs that softened layer away mechanically and increases the loss. The correct approach is to rinse with water or water with a pinch of bicarbonate, wait at least 30 to 60 minutes, and then brush. During that wait, saliva begins to put the minerals back.
How to protect
What can be done on the dental side:
- Strengthening enamel with fluoride varnish and high-fluoride toothpaste
- A night guard to reduce both acid contact and wear
- Covering worn surfaces with composite
- Tracking the rate of wear with photographs and measurements
- A gastroenterology assessment for the reflux itself
