Prevention is always better than treatment, as the saying goes. While there are ways to treat dental injuries, it’s still a lot better if you can prevent them from happening in the first place. There is no definite way to foresee and prevent all dental injuries and emergencies. But there are some precautions or prevent measures you can follow in order to avoid accident and injury to your teeth.
Understanding the most common dental emergencies is important in determining how to avoid them. There dental injuries that can be prevented, and there are those that cannot be avoided. Let us focus on the first one because it is something we can work on and prevent. The following are the most predictable forms of dental emergencies:
• Cracked tooth and infection
• Inflammation around the wisdom tooth
• Gum abscess
Now that you know the common dental issues, we go to what can you do to prevent these emergencies from happening. Here are a few things you can practice in order to avoid accident and injury to the teeth.
Wearing a Mouthguard
A lot of dental emergencies are due to sports-related accidents. So if you are an athlete, you must take extra caution when playing by wearing a mouthguard. This applies to both kids and adults. If you have a mouthpiece, your teeth will be protected if someone accidentally hits your mouth with an elbow or a ball. The mouthpiece protects your tooth from cracking or breaking. You don’t know what might happen while you’re playing. It’s best to stay protected. Wear a mouthguard.
You need to get a mouthguard that suits your needs, or the sports you’re playing. You can even have them custom-made. A regularly mouthpiece will do in general. However, if you are playing a high-impact sport like karate or wrestling, you can have a multi-laminated mouthguard for better protection. Ask your professional dentist regarding what kind of mouthguard you need.
Don’t Use Your Teeth as Tools
Biting and using your teeth as tools are the major causes of cracked tooth and other dental injuries. Don’t feel guilty. Most people do it. But make sure you don’t make it habit and stop using your teeth as tools. Avoid opening a bag of chips or cutting a tape using your mouth. This could easily lead to fracture or chip in your teeth. This can even lead to other dental issues if you regularly do it. Never open a bottle with your teeth or chew things aside from food.
This is pretty easy to do. Just don’t use your teeth on things they are not made for. It’s as simple as that.
Good Oral Hygiene
This is not just for preventing teeth injuries, but also for maintaining the overall health of your teeth. Practicing and maintain good dental hygiene goes a long way. You must floss regularly and brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, or any other toothpaste recommended by your dentist. You must also maintain a balanced diet and avoid eating foods or drinking beverages that might be unhealthy to your teeth. Good oral hygiene leads to healthier and stronger teeth. And stronger teeth means better protection from accidents and injuries. Don’t underestimate the power of a proper dental hygiene and practice.
Visit the Dentist Regularly
Receiving regular or routine checkups from a professional dentist is another way of maintaining healthy teeth, which then helps you prevent dental issues and emergencies. If you regularly visit the dentist, you can detect possible dental issues as early as possible and prevent such from getting worse. With the help of your dentist, you will detect abscesses, cavities, decay and other dental problems in the earliest stage. Your dentist will then address these problems and you will be treated before things get more serious.
While some dental issues cannot be foreseen, there are those that can be prevented. All you need is to take precautions. Prevention is pretty doable. It’s just a matter of practice and discipline. By following the things mentioned above, you can prevent a number of dental accidents and injuries. You can also apply these to your child. Protect your teeth, save your smile.
However, if you have not prevented a dental emergency from happening, don’t waste time and visit a professional dentist right away. Don’t wait for your problem to become worse. Contact us and we’ll set up an appointment.