There are two basic types of dental emergencies: that can be treated and even prevented altogether with early detection. Conditions like gum abscesses, pulpal assesses, infections, cracked teeth, and inflammations can often be prevented by visiting your dentist on a regular basis.
Undoubtedly the best way to prevent these types of common dental emergencies is to ensure that your teeth are in good condition, to begin with. You can do this by practising proper oral hygiene habits and getting your teeth professionally cleaned every six months.
Although many dental emergencies in the first category can be prevented, the second category is a little bit more difficult to see coming. This is because they are dental emergencies resulting from accidents or injuries. That being said, there are some things that you can do to avoid injury or at least reduce the impact of injuries when accidents do occur.
PREVENTING ACCIDENT-RELATED DENTAL EMERGENCIES
In the case of an accident, the most common dental emergencies are trauma to the tooth and chipping and breaking of teeth. There are a few simple things that you can do to avoid damaging or minimizing the injury when in an accident. Let’s take a look.
Safety tips for adults
If your teeth are weak or you’ve recently had a filling put in or a root canal treatment performed, you’re more prone to damaging your teeth by chewing hard objects. Ice, popcorn kernels, and even candy can do some serious damage if you aren’t careful. It’s best to avoid chewing or biting them completely. A lot of people also have a habit of using their teeth to cut tape or thread. This is a bad habit and can damage your teeth. Spare yourself the trouble of tooth damage and go look for a pair of scissors.
If you play sports, it’s important for you to take measures to protect your teeth. Mouthguards are highly recommended by dental professionals to prevent or at least minimize dental injury. Get a mouthguard that fits well so that you aren’t as likely to hurt your teeth while enjoying your afternoon playing rugby.
Safety tips for kids
If you have children, you have an obligation as their parent to teach them how to take care of their teeth. Chances are you’ve helped them brush and clean their teeth and encourage them to eat well. When it comes to preventing common accident-related dental emergencies, however, you may have to do a little bit more.
Babies like putting things into their mouths. Make sure that their teething toys are soft and safe to chew and that they aren’t putting dangerous hard objects into their mouth, particularly if they’re a choking hazard. After a trip or a fall, check your child’s teeth to make sure everything is alright. Keep an eye out for loose teeth, breaks, cracks or even those missing entirely. Addressing such problems early on will prevent more serious situations later.
If you have an older child who enjoys contact sports, it’s highly recommended that you invest in a good mouthguard for them too. There are plenty of cheap ones available in just about any sporting goods store. However, do some research to ensure that you’re getting a quality one that can prevent damage even from hard hits.
Tee Family Dental is a local dental office in Perth. We have an emergency dentist that covers emergency dental treatment – get in touch today to see how we can help.
