Complications of injured teeth

A number of complications can appear depending on the severity of the trauma. Even mild injuries can cause complications. In general loose or dislocated teeth present with more complications than fractured teeth.

Complications include:

- Necrosis of the nerve of the tooth. In this case the tooth may start getting darker either immediately or in a later stage. Nevertheless, this grey discoloration is usually an indication of a necrotic nerve and the treatment must be a root canal treatment for permanent teeth. In primary teeth necrosis can be treated either with a root canal treatment or an extraction depending on several factors. However, for primary teeth this grey discoloration sometimes can just be temporary and normal colour can reappear up to 4 months after trauma. This is a good sign and no need for any treatment is necessary other than observation.
Note that close observation is needed for injured primary teeth due to the fact that any complication on them has a chance to adversely affect the permanent successor tooth.

- Other complications like external root resorpion, calcification of the root canal, or permanent loosening of the tooth and premature exfoliation may also happen.