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What is a dental emergency?
A dental emergency is any dental problem that requires immediate attention from a dentist. This can include:
- Severe or persistent toothache
- Severe swelling on your face or in your mouth
- Knocked out, chipped or broken teeth
- Lost crowns or fillings
- Cuts to the lip or tongue
If you are experiencing any of these issues persistently, go to the dentist as soon as you can.
How can I avoid dental emergencies?
Although dental emergencies can happen for a variety of unpredictable reasons, we can always take precautions to reduce our risk of injuring our gums, teeth or jaw.
Use your teeth for chewing food only.
Plenty of us use our teeth to open packages and bite our nails. However, this is an easy way to chip or injure your teeth as you are exposing them and your inner cheeks, lips and gums to harm.
Take the extra time to find the appropriate tools such as scissors, and save your teeth for chewing food.
Wear a sports mouthguard.
Do you participate in sports or any high-impact, physically strenuous activities? Though these are great for getting your blood pumping and staying physically active, they can also present a hazard as you’re at risk for impacts to the head, face or neck.
These blows can easily result in significant injuries that lead to dental emergencies. To avoid these scenarios, always wear a custom-made mouthguard to protect your teeth and mouth against any injury.
Cut back on sugary foods.
Eating a lot of sugar results in plaque and bacteria buildup, which leads to tooth decay, cavities, wear on our teeth and gum disease. All of these things can lead to dental emergencies.
Next time you’re at the grocery store, stock up on crunchy vegetables such as carrots to snack on and healthier soft foods such as yogurt. After a few weeks of avoiding the hard, chewy sugary foods, you’ll hardly notice their absence from your diet - and your teeth will thank you.
Maintain an excellent oral hygiene routine at home.
Part of avoiding dental emergencies involves preparation and day to day maintenance. Dental emergencies sometimes happen as a result of tooth decay or painful cavities.
Maintaining a rigorous oral hygiene routine can reduce the chances of these. Remember to brush twice daily for two minutes each time and floss at least once per day.
Visit your dentist regularly.
Regular visits to the dentist are a must in keeping your teeth healthy and strong. They not only clean your teeth with professional grade tools, but can also detect any issues with your teeth early on, helping you avoid dental emergencies.