How to Prevent a Dental Emergency – Farmington Hills, MI
The Key to Protecting Your Smile
Whenever you’re suffering through extreme dental pain, you can always rely on MayFair Dental Associates to relieve your symptoms fast. But isn’t it much better to avoid this pain in the first place? Although you can’t always prevent some dental emergencies, there are some preventive actions you can take to significantly minimize their chances of occurring. If you keep the following tips in mind, you shouldn’t have to visit your emergency dentist in Farmington Hills nearly as often.
Keep Up with an Oral Hygiene Routine
More often than not, a severe toothache that warrants an emergency visit to our office is the result of a preventable dental health problem, like a cavity, that started out small but worsened the longer it was ignored. The easiest way to keep this from occurring is to adhere to an oral hygiene regimen of brushing and flossing every day. It also helps to come see us for a checkup and cleaning every six months. That way we can detect and put a stop to emergencies before they even happen.
Avoid Biting Extremely Hard Objects
Have you ever absentmindedly chewed on the end of your pen while working or munched on the popcorn kernels at the bottom of the bag because the movie wasn’t over yet? If you have, be careful of the way those habits can impact your oral health. They can wear down the enamel, or the outer protective layer of your teeth, leaving your pearly whites more vulnerable to chips and cracks. Try your best to avoid chewing on ice, hard candies, pencils, popcorn kernels, your fingernails, and other hard items. If you still feel the need to chew on something, just pop in a piece of sugar-free gum. It will satisfy your craving to chew while simultaneously cleaning your teeth!
Protect Your Teeth at Night and During Sports
Did you know that up to 40% of sports injuries are dental-related? Even non-contact sports like tennis can pose a threat to your smile, as there is a risk of a ball or other equipment breaking or knocking out one or more of your teeth. Fortunately, your dentist in Farmington Hills can prescribe a custom mouthguard. Designed to fit comfortably over your teeth, this durable plastic tray absorbs most of the impact of sports-related dental injuries.
Do you wake up with headaches or sore teeth? If so, you might grind your teeth while sleeping. Also known as bruxism, this condition wears down your enamel and can even fracture your teeth. Luckily, we can craft a plastic tray called a nightguard to prevent harmful contact between your top and bottom teeth while you sleep.
Don’t Use Your Teeth as Tools
Do you sometimes have trouble opening a bottle or package, so you use your teeth to help? Do you occasionally use your teeth to hold bags when you’re bringing in groceries? These habits are incredibly detrimental to your oral health. As you might have guessed, they can erode your enamel and leave your teeth more susceptible to breakage. Your teeth were not designed to carry out any purpose except for chewing food, so subjecting them to use as other kinds of tools will increase their likelihood of becoming damaged.
If you find yourself with a dental emergency, don’t hesitate to contact us today. We’ll do our utmost to get you in for an appointment as soon as possible!