The team at New Haven Dental Group is always ready to help you should you face a dental emergency. However, we are sure that you would like to prevent such a situation from occurring in the first place. By taking a few simple precautions, you can greatly reduce the risk of harm to your teeth and gums and thereby spare yourself from the pain, stress, and monetary cost of an oral health crisis. What precautions should you take? We have listed a few in the sections below.
In most cases, toothaches are entirely preventable if you stick to good oral health habits. Such habits include brushing your teeth for two minutes twice a day and flossing once a day. It is also vital that you visit your dentist at least twice a year for a cleaning and checkup. At these routine appointments, your dentist will look for early signs of dental problems and help you prevent such issues from progressing to the point where they could cause a dental emergency. A professional cleaning will remove tartar, the hardened form of plaque, from your teeth.
Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, and it is designed to stand up to the stress of eating a wide variety of foods. However, it is far from invincible. In fact, it is somewhat brittle and can break or chip if it is exposed to too much force. That is why it is important for you to avoid biting down on anything that might damage your teeth. Ice, fingernails, jawbreaker candies, popcorn kernels, pens, and pencils are just a few of the items that you should avoid biting down on.
Do you love to play sports? Whether you play in leagues or just hit the court or field for recreation, it is important that your teeth have proper protection. You can purchase a mouthguard at pretty much any sporting goods store, but it might provide mediocre protection at best. It may also be quite uncomfortable. A better option is to purchase a custom mouthguard from your dentist. Not only will the mouthguard reduce the risk of injury to your mouth, but it could also lower your risk of concussion.
Do you tend to grind your teeth at night? If you frequently wake up with a sore jaw, you may need to ask your dentist about getting a nightguard to prevent your teeth from damaging one another while you sleep.
It can be tempting to use your teeth as a tool to tear open that bag of snacks or the package that just arrived on your doorstep. Resist the temptation! Using your teeth to open any sort of container exposes them to a lot of force and may cause serious harm. Carrying a small multi-tool with you may be the key to helping you resist the tendency to use your teeth in lieu of scissors or a knife.
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