Our mouth is a very important part of our body.

If not because of our mouth, we can’t enjoy food, we can’t speak and we can’t smile.

Although the oral region comprises as small an area of 1% of the total body area, but it does so much for us. I could hardly understand why we did so little to protect our mouth especially during sport.

We will wear protective gear for our head, our body, but hardly I meet anyone who wears a mouth guard during physical activity. (I have to admit that I am one of those who did not have it when I play sport @.@)

Why am I talking about this all of a sudden?

As usual, it is because of a case that I am seeing.

This time, she is my neighbor- a very young and sporting lady who has very beautiful smile. Let’s call her Miss A.

Miss A came to see me about 1 month ago after a fall during ice skating.

The first thing that she noticed was that one of her front tooth became loose. After a few days, the tooth started to change color. There was an obvious red color in the tooth.

I explained to her that the tooth sustained impact during the fall and came out from the socket. Hence, the tooth is mobile.

When the tooth came out from socket, it cut off blood supply to the tooth causing the tooth to die. The color changing from red to black was telling us that the red blood cells were fragmented.

How do we deal with it then?

I splinted the tooth to stabilize it’s position in the socket.

At the same time, I initiated root canal treatment, followed by internal bleaching to brighten the tooth from inside.

Once we were done with it. Miss A thought that she wanted to have a bright smile and requested teeth whitening to be done.

Ta Dang~ after a month of hard work, Miss A got her dream smile again! She no longer has to cover her teeth while she smiles! Both of us love the final result! What do you think?

Important take home message here: Not everyone is as lucky as Miss A. She can still has her beautiful teeth despite the fall.

Some people who sustain more serious injury are forced to pull few teeth out. So, do protect your mouth if you are a fans of extreme sport and appreciate your teeth as much as you appreciate your face. Think of a mouth guard if you are involving in any kind of physical activity. Better be safe than sorry.

Last but not least, if you too have a discolored tooth, there is a chance that the tooth may be a dead tooth due to any kind of impact N years ago. Do come to our clinic to get it checked and let us come out with a treatment plan for you.

Otherwise, you can comment below or write to me at ganshouwan@story.drfauziah.com to ask about any discolored tooth.

Thank you and have a good weekend!

Dr Gwen Gan