Whenever a tooth is injured in a fall, there are certain steps that one must take. First and foremost, a head injury must be ruled out. When one has fallen or received a blow to the mouth, it is not uncommon to also incur trauma to the head. Especially when a tooth has been chipped and there is blood in the mouth, the focus of attention can be on the oral cavity. If there are any symptoms such as dizziness or loss of consciousness, a physician should be consulted. Once head injury has been ruled out, then the focus can be placed on the mouth. If a front tooth was chipped, look for a small red dot toward the center of the tooth.
Exposed nerve/ "red dot" after trauma
This should be checked after any blood has been rinsed away. The red dot is the tooth’s nerve. If it is exposed, there is a fairly high likelihood that it would need root canal treatment. A dentist should be consulted as soon as possible in that situation. The next thing to look at is to see if any teeth are loose or displaced. Again, if either of those conditions are present, a call to your dentist would be in order. Otherwise, it would be best to see your dentist at your earliest convenience so that he can x-ray the tooth to make sure that there are no fractures under the gums.
