Trauma Treatment
7to7 Dental’s Professional Evaluate, Restore Damaged Teeth
By Amy Morgan
During summer’s relaxed schedule we (and the kids) spend more time outside – riding bikes, skateboards and scooters, diving into the pool and playing in the park. While physical activity is healthy and fun, recreation can lead to accidents. The professionals at 7to7 Dental & Orthodontics notice a sharp increase in oral injuries during the summer months, said Sarah Martinez, office manager at the practice’s location on TPC Parkway just across from the JW Marriott. She has seen many emergencies in her 11 years with 7to7 Dental. Broken or pushed in teeth caused when the mouth hits the ground (or a hard object like a ball) are a common reason patients come in to the office on an urgent basis, she added.
It’s important to see a dentist ASAP if you sustain an injury to your mouth, cautioned TPC’s Managing Dentist Rebecca Garcia, D.D.S. Even if your teeth look fine, a dentist needs to examine the surrounding structures and x-ray the mouth to make sure the bone underneath has not broken or a tooth root separated.
“We need to evaluate if the root is intact before we can begin any treatment,” she said. 7to7 Dental offers a complimentary 3D x-ray to any patient who comes in with trauma. Once an x-ray illuminates the extent of the damage, the dentist may splint teeth to a permanent retainer to stabilize them until they can reestablish a firm connection to
the bone. If the teeth are broken, the dentist can paint on a composite material to create a temporary, tooth colored filling to cover the missing portion. Dentists certified to use mild sedation like Dr. Garcia can offer that option to keep little ones comfortable during the application process.
A crown is a cap for a tooth that has been broken, decayed or worn down. It can be made of metal, resin or porcelain and is shaped to mimic the missing portion of the tooth it replaces. It also can restore teeth that have had a root-canal or implant. Crowns last between 5-15 years with proper care. Crowns generally are used to cover broken teeth if 50% of the tooth is lost, but children aren’t candidates for crowns until their mouth is fully grown and all their adult teeth have come in – usually in the late-teen years, Sarah said.
Dr. Garcia remembers one adult patient who fell and damaged six teeth across the front of her mouth. Dr. Garcia was able to perform the extensive dental restoration in-house, including stabilizing the teeth with root canals, lengthening the teeth and placing six permanent crowns. Dr. Garcia, and the patient, were delighted with her final smile.
Many of the dentists who work at 7to7 Dental’s 10 locations have been trained in a specialty area in addition to general dentistry. Patients need not look outside the 7to7 Dental family for care, be it pediatrics, orthodontia, cosmetic, or oral surgery.
And the practice is open from 7 a.m.- 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. -5 p.m., weekends to make appointments convenient for their patients. Insured patients or those covered by 7to7 Dental’s in-house dental plan pay nothing out of pocket for Brighter Whiter cleanings and exams for adults, cleanings and exams for children, or second opinion evaluations.
7to7 Dental has grown to include 350 team members but is still locally owned and operated by North Central San Antonio residents Justin Coke and Dr. Tiffany Winburn. You might want to keep their number handy in your phone, 210-495-2000, as you never know when an accident may occur.
