A dental emergency can be uncomfortable and alarming at the same time. Could you imagine losing your tooth or experience excruciating pain? These are instances when you have no other choice but to go to your dentist to have the issue fixed.
Unfortunately, the general population is at risk of suffering from dental emergencies. 26% of American adults are suffering from untreated tooth decay. That alone could lead to a dental pain emergency or even lose your tooth completely.
A trip to the dentist for an emergency case can cost from $100 to $250, depending on the area you are living in and the severity of the situation. If it requires surgery, you can expect this number to go up. The right question to ask at this point is how to avoid dental emergencies?
Though you can be prepared for dental emergencies, you’d instead want to be preventive. The good news is that there are simple ways on how you can prevent dental issues from becoming an emergency. Here are some ideas on how you can avoid experiencing dental emergencies.
Practice Good Dental Hygiene
Before you even learn any dental emergency tips from your dentist, it is crucial first to learn proper dental hygiene. Brushing your teeth after you eat, flossing, and using mouthwash often can help prevent tooth decay from causing havoc on your teeth.
There is also the proper way to brush your teeth. You want to be brushing your teeth for at least three minutes plus, you also want to include your tongue to ensure that you get rid of the bacteria commonly seen in your mouth.
On top of brushing, flossing should be considered a habit. According to the American Academy of Periodontology, this practice can help minimize gum problems. It can avoid problems such as bleeding gums, receding gums, and tooth and bone loss. It can even stop tooth decay since you get rid of the plaque that is found in between your teeth.
You want to include regular mouth washing as part of your routine. Mouth washing can help remove plaque dislodged by brushing and flossing. It also helps in getting rid of food particles in your mouth and could even help whiten your teeth.
People in San Diego say that emergencydentistsandiego.net/ is one of the best dentists to visit if you are having a dental emergency. Let’s be honest, you want to make sure that you are prepared and know which dentist to call just in case you end up having a dental emergency. You should always follow these tips, but until you do, these things can happen at any moment.
Visit Your Dentist Regularly
Apart from your routine to clean your teeth, you also have to visit the dentist at least twice every year; this will include regular checkups and cleaning. However, this isn’t always the case, you also have to consider visiting more often than just every six months given you have a brewing dental problem.
That allows your dentist to find any dental problems during its early stage; it will also make it easier to resolve issues that may lead to dental emergencies. Some of the most common things that you can expect from your dentist include removing hardened plaque and even a few tips on how to improve your overall dental hygiene.
Pay Attention to Impacted Tooth and Tooth Damage
Carries do not always cause dental pain emergencies. There are instances when the one that is causing problems is an impacted tooth. But before we get started, what’s an impacted tooth?
Imagine your wisdom tooth erupting from your gums sideways hitting other teeth. Aside from the pain that it can cause because of the pressure buildup, it can also damage your teeth. Since impacted teeth are hard to clean, you become more vulnerable to tooth decay and other gum problems.
If you are still not convinced that an impacted tooth is a big deal, it can also cause headaches and even TMJ disorder or temporomandibular joint disorder. There are even instances when your jaw locks up because the muscles surrounding the jaw become tight.
What should be the best recourse when you are dealing with an impacted tooth? You have no other choice but to have it removed surgically. You also don’t want to wait for the time when the affected tooth starts to decay, making it harder for the dentist to remove the tooth. Your dentist will request an x-ray to have a clear vision of how the impacted tooth is developing.
Take Care of Problems Right Away
And lastly, you want to make sure that you take care of problems right away. There is no need to prolong dental problems until it turns into an emergency; this usually includes regular dental care and good dental hygiene. But also, you need to be conscious of what you eat to make sure that you lessen the chances of developing cavities and caries. Proper nutrition, such as taking enough calcium and vitamin D, can help improve your overall dental health.
Also, if you are doing contact sports, you should be using a mouth guard to prevent your tooth from getting chipped or knocked off.
Conclusion
A dental emergency can be highly problematic. It costs a lot of money and can be very uncomfortable. It can be painful and could even ruin your smile for the rest of your life. The good part is that you don’t have to wait for this to happen. You can have a routine that can keep cavities away.
If you’ve heard of the adage: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, this applies perfectly to your dental health. Follow these things we’ve mentioned, and you can avoid costly trips to the dentist for an emergency procedure.