The importance of thorough oral examination and the value of soft tissue radiography in the management of embedded tooth fragments

摘要

A 27-year-old woman sustained a coronal fracture to the maxillary left second incisor and lower lip puncture wound following a mechanical fall while chasing a bus. She presented to the emergency dentist who performed a temporary restoration of the tooth and discharged her from the emergency dental care. However, with increasing lower lip swelling and pain she presented to our emergency department later the same day. Cleaning of the bloodstained lip under mental nerve block revealed two puncture wounds in the lower lip. Soft tissue radiography revealed multiple radiopaque bodies in the lower lip (figure 1). Fourteen tooth fragments were removed from a communicating tract (figure 2). Of note, there were no signs or symptoms of foreign body aspiration.