Any Eli Brooks dental injury update?

Submitted by Beaublue on January 9th, 2021 at 10:56 AM

I haven't heard any update on the status of Eli Brooks.  Any input from our MgoDentists?   Could that tooth be reimplanted or would he likely have to have a dental implant?   I imagine it would depend on if the tooth was completely knocked out or if enough was left to crown? 

mbrummer

January 9th, 2021 at 11:00 AM ^

I mean it's all conjecture without looking at the patient.

Much like every non Dr. diagnosing Fields with broken ribs through their TV screens

But since the tooth was recovered and immediately attempt to repair, Probably 85-90% chance they can reimplant it.

k1400

January 9th, 2021 at 11:08 AM ^

Didn't look like that hard of a hit.  Seems like it would take more to knock a tooth out.  Obviously something did go flying out of his mouth....I wonder if maybe it was really a crown that got knocked out.  Still sucks of course.  When they showed Eli's face as he was lying on the ground, didn't look like he was showing much pain.  I've never had an adult tooth knocked out, but it must hurt a lot.  Or maybe Eli is one tough SOB. 

I am not a dentist, and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn last night.

UNCWolverine

January 9th, 2021 at 12:29 PM ^

spec·u·la·tion

/ˌspekyəˈlāSH(ə)n/

noun

  1. 1.

    the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.

    "there has been widespread speculation that he plans to quit"

     

  2. 2.

    investment in stocks, property, or other ventures in the hope of gain but with the risk of loss.

    "the company's move into property speculation"

Robbie Moore

January 9th, 2021 at 11:11 AM ^

Ah, the difference between basketball and hockey. A basketball player loses a tooth to an elbow and people are concerned about his well being. A hockey player takes a puck to the mouth and loses a bunch of teeth and people question his fortitude if he isn't back on the ice in 10 minutes.

xtramelanin

January 9th, 2021 at 11:31 AM ^

i said it in the game thread and i'll say it here.  eli took that mouth shot better than i've ever seen a basketball player take an injury, ever.  most hoops players remind me of soccer players with their histrionics upon impact (and love those fake falls), they look like someone took a flaming ax to their head.  from what i saw eli laid their calmly feeling his mouth to figure out what happened.  that's a hockey player's reaction and kudos to him for his demeanor. 

A Lot of Milk

January 9th, 2021 at 11:15 AM ^

I was gonna ask about this. Is he expected to miss any time at all? I did light research and stuff I read said it takes a few weeks for the tooth to reattach solidly if they replanted it. I imagine playing basketball where there's a high risk of reinjury probably wouldn't be recommend immediately. Anyone certain? 

Goggles Paisano

January 9th, 2021 at 12:33 PM ^

Football is one thing, but to wear a mouthpiece is really inconvenient for a basketball player.  Communication is key to hoops and it comes from all five on the floor.  Tough to speak with that mouthpiece in and also harder to breath.  The amount of oxygen for a basketball player is far greater than that required of a football player.  I played both from pee-wee thru high school, so just my opinion as having done both.  

michgoblue

January 9th, 2021 at 1:03 PM ^

It most certainly SHOULD be optional. These are not children playing. These are adults who are capable of making their own safety choices. This is not the same as forcing athletes in various sports to wear helmets. Nobody ever died or developed CTE from having a tooth knocked out by an elbow.

Joby

January 9th, 2021 at 11:37 AM ^

M.D., not a dentist, but had the same question. There’s an excellent review article on the topic here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4482297/

This article recommends 2-4 weeks of avoiding potential contact, FWIW, (I highly doubt the grittiest player in the B1G will wait that long) and only returning with mouth guard and face mask. It advocates for widespread use of mouth guards.

The cells at the root and in the pulp have to be kept alive to reimplant the tooth. We used to do this by keeping an avulsed tooth (where the whole tooth is knocked out) in milk until the dentist could intervene, and it gave you about 2-3 hours before reimplantation became less successful. More advanced liquids now give you up to 4 days (!) leeway, and even the normal saline used in standard fluid resuscitation can buy more time.

 

njvictor

January 9th, 2021 at 11:43 AM ^

I haven't heard anyone, but I have a friend who lost a tooth during hockey and he got it stitched up with a new dental implant in there pretty quickly

Optimism Attache

January 9th, 2021 at 12:21 PM ^

We really need to get to the root of this mystery. Eli may well end up being the unsung crown jewel of this team, helping bring a needed spark from the deep cavities of complacency when we stay undefeated well into February.

His presence will be just the palate cleanser fans thirsty for another B1G title need. Helping seal the deal and move past last year's mere veneer of success to actual domination in March is exactly what Eli was born to do. 

St Joe Blues

January 9th, 2021 at 12:22 PM ^

My son had a front tooth broken off in basketball practice. I called my buddy who is a dentist. His wife answered and I explained to her what happened. Rick, meanwhile, hearing her half of the conversation, already had his coat on and was ready to meet us at his clinic to reimplant it. He thought the whole tooth came out. Unfortunately it broke halfway down. At that point all he could do was put on a crown.

We had him wear a mouth guard for the rest of his HS career.