6 Tips to Avoid Dental Emergencies

If you’ve encountered a dental emergency before, you know how stressful and painful they can be. They never seem to happen at a convenient time, and it is difficult to know what to do when you are in a lot of pain. Not all dental emergencies can be prevented, but there are steps that you can take to significantly reduce your likelihood of dealing with one. Read on to learn some tips that can help you prevent a dental emergency.

Look Out for Changes

If you start to feel pain in your mouth out of the blue, or a toothache disappears suddenly, you should bring these up with your dentist. By catching these issues early on, you can have them treated before they become serious. For example, if you have a severe toothache that disappears, this could mean that an infection has killed the nerve on the inside of your tooth. By seeing a dentist as soon as you can, they will be more likely to save it.

Excellent Oral Hygiene

You should be brushing twice and flossing every day to remove food particles, plaque, and harmful bacteria from your teeth and gums. This way, you are less likely to develop common oral health issues, like cavities and gum disease. Replace your toothbrush every three months or when it starts to look frayed. Having proper dental tools is necessary for excellent oral hygiene.

Limit Your Sugar Intake

When you eat sugary foods, bacteria feed off of them and release an acid as a by-product. This is an issue because it attacks your protective tooth enamel by removing essential minerals. Ultimately, you are more likely to develop cavities. When you decide to have a sugary treat, try to include it as part of one of your main meals so you can reduce the amount of time that your mouth is vulnerable to harm.

Use a Mouthguard

Staying active is essential for your health, but contact sports can be risky for your smile. If there is a chance that you could receive a blow to your mouth, remember to always wear a mouthguard. You can get a custom one through your dentist. Dental injuries happen all the time when playing sports, and many of them can be prevented with a mouthguard.

Stay Hydrated

You should be drinking plenty of water so that you stay hydrated enough to produce an adequate amount of saliva. Saliva is needed to wash away food debris and maintain a neutral pH level. It contains specific minerals that help to protect your teeth so that you don’t encounter decay.

See Your Dentist

Even if you are the most disciplined brusher and flosser in the world, there are still going to be places that you miss. This is where your routine cleanings and checkups come in. Your hygienist will remove plaque and tartar from places that you can’t reach, and your dentist checks for preexisting issues so they can be resolved before worsening.

No one wants to deal with a dental emergency, so it is best to prevent them when possible. By using the tips listed above, you can keep your smile safe from harm!

About the Author

Dr. Jacob Milner earned his dental doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. Since then, he has completed an externship at Kernan Hospital at the University of Maryland and completed advanced training in many areas of dentistry. He has earned fellowship with Implant Pathway and is a certified provider for Invisalign. Dr. Milner offers same-day appointments for emergency patients. To learn more about emergency dentistry or to schedule an appointment at his office in Owings Mills, visit his website or call (410) 390-0277.