How to Avoid Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies can cause a lot of pain and inconvenience, but they can be avoided by taking preventive measures. Our dentists in Toronto share some tips on how to prevent a dental emergency.

A Dental Emergency?

A dental emergency is any dental problem that requires immediate attention from a dentist. This can include:

Severe or persistent toothache that can’t be addressed with over-the-counter pain medications
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

Any of these can cause pain, discomfort, or damage to your teeth that need to be treated quickly by a dentist.

Ways To Avoid A Dental Emergency:

1. Use your teeth for chewing food only

Using our teeth for tasks like opening packages or biting our fingernails, instead of chewing food, can easily lead to chipping or injuring them. It can also harm our inner cheeks, lips, and gums.

To avoid such harm, it's best to take a little extra time and find appropriate tools like scissors for such tasks and reserve our teeth for chewing food.

2. Wear a sports mouthguard

Do you play sports or do any physically demanding activities? While they're great for keeping you active, they can also be risky for your head, face, and neck.

If you get hit in these areas, you could get seriously hurt and need dental help right away.

To avoid this, always wear a special mouthguard that fits your teeth to keep them safe.

3. Cut back on sugary foods

We all enjoy snacking, especially when we crave for something sweet in the late afternoon. But consuming sugary foods can result in plaque and bacteria buildup, leading to dental problems like tooth decay, cavities, gum disease, and dental emergencies. Hard candy, popcorn kernels, and similar foods can also be risky for our teeth.

To maintain healthy teeth, try snacking on crunchy veggies like carrots and soft, healthier foods like yogurt instead of chewy sugary foods. After a few weeks of following this routine, you'll barely miss the unhealthy snacks, and your teeth will be grateful for it.

4. Maintain an excellent oral hygiene routine at home

To avoid dental emergencies caused by tooth decay or cavities, it's important to prepare and maintain your teeth daily. This means sticking to a strict oral hygiene routine, including brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time and flossing at least once a day. By doing so, you can reduce the likelihood of experiencing painful dental emergencies.

5. Visit your dentist regularly

To keep your teeth healthy, you need to do two things: first, brush and floss your teeth regularly to maintain good oral hygiene, and second, visit your dentist for regular check-ups and cleanings. During these appointments, your dentist will use special tools to clean your teeth and check for any problems. By catching any issues early, you can avoid having to deal with painful and costly dental emergencies in the future.